Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for a missile attack on Saudi Arabia’s main international airport in Riyadh, alleging that the strike killed three people and injured several others.
The group said it targeted King Khalid International Airport on Thursday with a ballistic missile, claiming the attack disrupted operations at the facility. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree made the claim in a statement on X.
According to Saree, the attack was the third time this week that the Houthis had claimed to target the airport. The group also issued a warning to international airlines, urging them to stop operating flights through Saudi airspace.
“We reiterate our call and warning, for the last time, to all international airlines against continuing to operate flights through Saudi airspace,” Saree said.
The latest attack comes amid an intensifying conflict in Yemen that has increasingly spilled across the country’s borders since fighting escalated again in July.
A day before the reported missile strike, Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government announced a major counteroffensive against the Houthis as it seeks to regain territory from the rebel group.
The Yemeni government has also claimed recent military gains along strategic parts of the Red Sea coast and around the port city of Mocha, where its forces reportedly pushed Houthi fighters from key positions.
Meanwhile, Saudi-led coalition forces said they had destroyed 82 Houthi military targets across Yemen. Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said the targets were located in the provinces of Saada, Marib, Al Jawf and Al Hudaydah.
According to al-Maliki, the targets included missile launch sites, command centres and weapons and missile storage facilities. He did not provide details of casualties or the extent of the damage.
The claims by both sides could not be independently verified.
The renewed fighting has also worsened the humanitarian situation in Yemen. The United Nations estimates that more than 200,000 people have been displaced within the country as a result of the escalating conflict.
