Yemen’s Houthi forces have reportedly struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with missiles for the second time in a day, hours after issuing a “final warning” to airlines against operating in Saudi airspace.
The Houthis hit the airport with two cruise missiles on Thursday evening, the group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree announced in a statement. Houthi forces also hit Abha Airport and King Khalid Air Base with ballistic missiles, Saree added.
“The strikes were precise and direct, resulting in the disruption of air traffic at the two airports and causing damage to them and the air base,” Saree said. The Saudi government has not acknowledged the strikes. The head of the Saudi military coalition against the Houthis in Yemen, Turki al-Maliki, has claimed that two missiles were intercepted before they reached Riyadh, and one was intercepted before it reached King Khalid Air Base.
Earlier on Thursday, Houthi forces hit King Khalid International Airport with a ballistic missile, which Saree said “struck its target with precision and caused the disruption of airport operations.”
Video footage shared by the Houthis showed a thick plume of smoke rising from the apron of the airport, while footage shared on social media suggested that the missile landed directly on a parked aircraft belonging to the Saudia airline.
After the first strike, Saree issued what he called a “final warning to all global airlines,” warning them to stay out of Saudi airspace, “which has become a theater for our military operations.”
Around 40% of flights in and out of Riyadh were canceled on Thursday. Almost two dozen carriers have canceled or suspended service to the Saudi capital amid the Kingdom’s escalating conflict with the Houthis. Air India and Lufthansa both announced on Thursday that they would not fly into Riyadh until next week.
Saudi Arabia has been waging war against the Houthis since 2015, although the fighting was paused by a ceasefire in 2022. Fighting resumed this July after Saudi-backed forces struck the runway at Sanaa airport to prevent an Iranian plane carrying a Houthi delegation from landing. The Houthis responded with strikes on Saudi targets, while Saudi jets resumed large-scale airstrikes on Yemen.
The conflict escalated further in September, when the Houthis made their largest territorial gains in years, taking Mocha and key positions along the Red Sea coast and around Bab el-Mandeb.
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