Houthis threaten more Saudi airport attacks after strike kills 12 in Riyadh

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree warned on X that airports and Saudi airspace could face further attacks.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Iran-backed Houthi forces threatened additional attacks on airports across Saudi Arabia after a strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 12 people and injured 309 others Saturday, marking the most severe attacks on the Gulf nation in more than a decade.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said early Sunday that the October 10 attack hit passenger facilities at the airport.

Authorities suspended operations, evacuated affected areas and began assessing damage following the strike.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack, and the Houthis stopped short of saying they carried it out. The group had, however, acknowledged earlier attacks on King Khalid International Airport during the week.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree warned on X that airports and Saudi airspace could face further attacks, while excluding airports serving the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The group also warned passengers against traveling.

“The airports and airspace are exposed to targeting and constitute a theater of operations for our forces,” Saree wrote. “We urge everyone to take our warnings seriously, and Saudi Arabia bears responsibility for any failed interceptions.”

Saturday’s attack followed an intensification of Houthi strikes against the Saudi capital’s airport during the week. Three people were also killed there Thursday.

Among the 12 people killed Saturday were four Saudi citizens, according to the General Authority of Civil Aviation. The foreign nationals killed included two Bangladeshis and one person each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, the Palestinian territories and Sudan.

The renewed attacks against Saudi Arabia have occurred during an escalation in fighting between the kingdom and the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

The Houthis’ latest warning indicated that airports elsewhere in Saudi Arabia remain potential targets. The group specifically exempted the holy cities of Mecca and Medina from its threat while telling travelers to stay away from other airports.