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Yemen's Houthis claim they struck Saudi's Riyadh airport with ballistic missile; ops hit
Houthis also warned global airlines to not operate flights in Saudi airspace, except for sacred sites of Mecca al-Mukarramah and Medina al-Munawwarah.
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Yemen's Houthis claimed on Thursday morning that they struck Saudi Arabia's main international airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile and hit their target “with precision”.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a post on X that after the attack, operations at Riyadh's King Khalid Airport were disrupted.
“By the grace of God, our armed forces have succeeded in targeting King Khalid Airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile, which struck its target with precision and caused the disruption of airport operations,” Saree wrote.
Iran-backed Houthi fighters also warned global airlines to not operate flights in Saudi airspace, except for the airspace over the sacred sites of Mecca al-Mukarramah and Medina al-Munawwarah or there will be “consequences”.
“We reiterate our call and warning _for the last time_ to all global airlines regarding the consequences of continuing to operate flights in Saudi airspace, which has become a theater for our military operations, with the exception of the airspace over the sacred areas in Mecca al-Mukarramah and Medina al-Munawwarah,” Saree's post read.
This is the third time this week Houthis have claimed responsibility for an attack at the airport. The group's claim of fresh attack on Saudi comes a day after they said that they launched a series of attacks in in the kingdom, killing three people. It also followed the Riyadh-backed Yemeni government's announcement of a major counter-offensive against the group.
Saudi's King Khalid airport and Abha airport came under fire on Tuesday and Wednesday and suffered damage, following which, the Houthis took responsibility for both the attacks.
A Sudanese man was killed in the attack on Riyadh airport , according to Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation. Five Saudi nationals, two Egyptians and a Pakistani resident were injured.
In the attack on Abha airport, two women were killed - one Moroccan and one Algerian, while 28 people suffered injuries.
The Houthis, who control much of northwestern Yemen, have been fighting the Yemeni government for territory since the civil war reignited in July.
(With inputs from Bloomberg, AFP)
