Riyadh Airport Suspends Operations After Houthi Missile Strike

Riyadh's international airport was forced to suspend operations on Saturday after a missile strike attributed to Yemen's Houthi rebels wounded dozens of people, including pilgrims bound for Mecca. The attack marks a significant escalation in the regional conflict, with civilian infrastructure now squarely in the crosshairs.

What happened at Riyadh airport?

A witness at the airport reported hearing an explosion while waiting to board a flight, and another said they saw a strike that left people wounded and fleeing in panic. One witness described the scene: “I was on Gate 403. I saw 401 hit, I saw injured in front of my eyes. Everyone was running.”

A medical source told AFP that the health ministry had ordered emergency room doctors to report to hospitals around the capital to treat the wounded. “We were told we are dealing with a 'serious emergency situation'. Injured are being moved to hospitals across Riyadh,” the source said.

How many people were injured in the attack?

The aviation authority said the number of injured was still being assessed, but a source at a local hospital said five people were in intensive care, with “dozens of people injured” in all. Two doctors confirmed that several pilgrims headed to Mecca had been injured while waiting to board their flight. A relative of one wounded person said they had been hit in the shoulders and arms by shattered glass.

Who is behind the attack on Riyadh airport?

A diplomatic source briefed on the matter told AFP the airport was hit by “a missile around 3pm” local time. “Houthis are attacking civilian targets. Riyadh airport is a civilian target,” the source said. The Houthis have repeatedly attacked Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers after a truce in their long-running war with Yemen's Riyadh-backed government unravelled in July.

Admissions by Saudi authorities of strikes hitting civilian targets are relatively rare, with officials issuing few statements on Houthi attacks in recent weeks. The aviation authority added that airport “operations had been temporarily suspended pending the completion of an assessment of the damage and verification of the safety of the facilities”.

What is the broader context of the Yemen conflict?

The Yemen conflict flared back to life after a four-year, UN-brokered truce collapsed, months into a wider Middle Eastern war that has rocked the region and roiled energy supplies and markets. The scale and frequency of the recent strikes targeting Riyadh are unprecedented in the eight months of war in the region.

Saudi Arabia leads an international coalition that supports Yemen's government militarily, and has found itself drawn deeper into its impoverished neighbour's civil war. Both Riyadh and the Houthis have signalled a willingness to keep fighting rather than pursue diplomacy.

How have foreign governments responded?

The US embassy in Saudi Arabia said it was “aware of attacks” on Riyadh airport on Saturday and called on American citizens to avoid the area. The Canadian, German and Spanish embassies also warned their citizens to avoid the facility. Spain's embassy, in a message on X, alerted nationals to a “new attack... by the Houthis”.

A senior Western diplomat told AFP that several embassies “indicated that they had decided to prohibit their staffs' travel to/from Riyadh Airport over the next week as a prudential step”. Near the airport, passengers carrying luggage could be seen standing on the pavement at a metro station.

What is the situation on the ground in Yemen?

Meanwhile, in Yemen, Saudi-supported government forces were advancing against the Houthis in areas they captured last month around the Bab al-Mandab strait, military sources told AFP. The Yemeni government last week announced a counter-offensive aimed at retaking all areas held by the Houthis, after the group seized the country's entire western coastline in a lightning offensive.