In brief
The defence authority confirmed that three Saudi citizens died when the Houthi movement launched dual missile strikes on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport and on a state airline aircraft. The attacks injured numerous passengers from various nationalities. Earlier this month the group struck Abha and King Khalid airports, killing three more people. The incidents mark a sharp escalation in hostilities that have intensified after the Houthis seized critical Red Sea coastal positions. Saudi Arabia has not officially confirmed all claims, but the incidents have further strained the fragile cease‑fire.
Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said that three Saudi nationals were killed when the Iran‑aligned Houthi rebels carried out two missile attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The first wave hit the airport itself, while a second strike hit a Saudia aircraft, killing one pilot. The attacks also left many passengers and staff injured.
Air traffic resumed normally after the incidents, but the attacks have intensified the already tense situation in the region. The Houthis have alleged that their actions are retaliation for what they call Saudi aggression, citing more than 60 airstrikes on their territory in the last 24 hours.
The group claimed to have also targeted an airport in Najran near Yemen’s border and the Khamis Mushait air base, though Saudi Arabia has not confirmed those attacks. Earlier this month, the Houthis struck Abha International Airport and King Khalid airport, killing three and wounding 28 people.
The attacks come as the Houthis have advanced along the Red Sea coast, capturing the port of Mokha and threatening one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Pro‑government forces say they have secured the Bab al‑Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea. The fragile cease‑fire brokered in 2022 is deteriorating, risking a broader armed conflict in the Yemen war.
