The Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting in Yemen has said its forces intercepted another ballistic missile launched by the Houthis towards the Saudi capital, Riyadh, as the city reels from attacks that have killed at least 14 people in recent days.
In a statement on X, Turki Al-Maliki, the spokesperson for the coalition, said the Houthis fired one ballistic missile at Riyadh and two towards Khamis Mushait, a city in the southwest.
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Residents of Riyadh reported several powerful explosions on Monday night, moments after a text message to their phones warned of an aerial threat.
The Houthis, who control Yemen’s most populous areas, including the capital, Sanaa, said their target in Riyadh had been King Khalid International Airport. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, said the group had also sent a drone toward a military air base at Khamis Mushait, near the Yemeni border.
Yahya Saree, the Houthi spokesman, again warned international airlines and travellers “against operating flights to airports” in Saudi Arabia, except in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, saying the facilities were “unsafe”.
The renewed attacks came as the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh remains closed, following a Houthi attack on Saturday that killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300 others. Another strike on Sunday killed one person and wounded 11 people.
Saudi authorities said the airport would remain closed until this Saturday, and airlines have canceled flights. The Houthis have also struck Saudi oil facilities.
The attacks come as the Houthis fight forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government for control of the country. The Saudi-led coalition has carried out an air campaign against the Houthis and backed the government’s ground forces. The fighting erupted amid regional tensions set off by the United States and Israel’s war against Iran.
Speaking at an energy conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the attacks on airports over the last week have tested the kingdom’s resilience.
“The event of recent weeks are serious,” the minister. “Our response must be equally serious.” He added that Vision 2030, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plan to diversify the Saudi economy, “must continue. Investment must continue”.
Saudi authorities have meanwhile opened an investigation into why its air defenses failed to stop the barrage, according to two regional officials who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. An initial inquiry found that the Houthis first launched several drones to clear a path for a mix of cruise and ballistic missiles, which then reached the airport, the officials said.
The Houthis possess ballistic missiles with warheads that can change direction in flight, posing a challenge to the Patriot interceptors and other systems the Saudis rely on.
One official told the AP that investigators also wanted to know why the defenses had not given earlier warning of an attack whose missiles and drones flew more than 1,000 kilometers, or 620 miles, to reach Riyadh.
US President Donald Trump separately criticised the Houthis but gave no indication that Washington would intervene. “Well, the Houthis are misbehaving very badly. No good,” he told reporters when asked what he planned to do about the group.
A Houthi official warned that American involvement would bring retaliation.
“If the US becomes involved in the aggression against Yemen, we will not deliberate over the decision to respond, rather, there will be a swift and painful response targeting the US and all its interests in the region,” Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthis’ political bureau, told the AFP news agency.
Al-Bukhaiti also warned “all employees and workers at Saudi oil facilities and airports to stay away from these sites, as they have become legitimate targets”.
The attacks have put events scheduled in Riyadh this month under pressure, including the kingdom’s flagship investment conference and the WPC Energy Congress, where several top oil executives were dropped from the programme.
Delta Airlines, a US airline, said on Monday that it would delay the launch of its planned nonstop Atlanta-Riyadh service until March 2027 amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
