Houthi Missile Strikes on Riyadh Airport Kill Three Saudi Nationals

Three Saudi citizens lost their lives following two separate strikes on Riyadh International Airport, according to the nation’s civil aviation authority. The announcement came after Yemen’s Houthi movement claimed responsibility for targeting the hub.

In a statement posted to X, the General Authority of Civil Aviation noted that the incidents also left several Saudi nationals and residents of diverse nationalities injured.

Authorities indicated that the initial strike occurred on Thursday against airport infrastructure, followed by a second assault on a plane operated by the state-owned carrier Saudia.

Saudia confirmed in a separate statement that one of its pilots was among the fatalities.

The civil aviation authority reported that flight operations had since returned to normal levels.

Reports indicate that the Houthi group stated on Thursday they had launched two missiles at the airport.

The Iran-aligned faction further claimed strikes on an airport in Najran, close to the Yemeni border, and the Khamis Mushait air base further inland. Riyadh has not yet confirmed these additional allegations.

These deaths come on the heels of a recent spate of violence, during which three people were killed in Houthi attacks on two other Saudi airports on October 6 and 7.

On Wednesday, the civil aviation body disclosed that two people were killed and 28 wounded in a strike at Abha International Airport, while another fatality was reported at King Khalid airport.

These events occur amidst an escalation in renewed hostilities between Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces and the Houthis, who control much of the country’s north-west.

A Houthi military spokesperson justified the earlier assaults on Saudi airports as a response to “Saudi aggression against our country,” citing 60 airstrikes and missile attacks in the preceding 24 hours.

The group maintains it targets Saudi Arabia due to its backing of government forces in the ongoing Yemeni civil war.

Tensions have intensified in recent weeks following a Houthi offensive that captured strategically significant stretches of the Red Sea coastline.

The offensive included the port of Mokha on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea’s narrowest point and a critical chokepoint for global maritime traffic.

However, pro-government Yemeni forces have subsequently claimed they have secured the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the Red Sea’s southern entrance.

A Saudi-led coalition was established in 2015 when Arab nations united to prevent the Houthis from overthrowing Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

A temporary truce was arranged in 2022, following years of aerial bombardment and ground combat that resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and one of the world’s most severe humanitarian emergencies.

Yet, the informal cessation of hostilities began to break down in July.

The Houthis declared a “maritime embargo” against Saudi Arabia, initiating missile and drone strikes against airports, oil infrastructure, and tankers in the Red Sea. They stated these actions were retaliation for what they describe as a years-long Saudi blockade and an air strike on Sanaa airport.

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