Yemen's Houthi movement says it has targeted Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport with a ballistic missile, just a day after the airport partially resumed operations following weeks of disruption. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed in a statement on X on 26 October that the group launched a ballistic missile at the airport and carried out drone attacks against pumping stations along Saudi Arabia's strategic East-West pipeline, saying the attacks achieved their intended objectives; at the time of publishing, the claims had not been independently verified.
Saudi Arabia said its air defences successfully intercepted the latest attack. Saudi military spokesperson Turki Al-Malki said a Houthi ballistic missile bound for Riyadh had been destroyed and confirmed Saudi forces had subsequently carried out strikes against missile launchers and storage facilities inside Yemen. Before the reopening, Saree had warned airlines, airport employees and passengers not to use the facility, describing it as unsafe and a military target, and said the Houthis would continue striking the airport.
King Khalid International Airport had partially reopened on 25 October, with limited domestic flights and selected international services operated by Saudi carriers; under the phased reopening plan, Terminal 1 has been designated for domestic services, while Terminal 2 is handling international flights operated by national airlines. Despite the reopening, flight activity remains significantly below normal levels: according to airline data experts Cirium, the airport has seen 86% of scheduled flights cancelled since 8 October, with 4,071 of 4,736 scheduled services withdrawn. Several international carriers have continued to suspend operations to Riyadh, operational restrictions remain in force under NOTAM A3650/26 and A3651/26, and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency has advised operators to avoid designated areas of Saudi airspace while the US Federal Aviation Administration has warned carriers of military activity and potential interference with satellite navigation systems. According to reports, the airport has been targeted around 20 times since the beginning of October. In light of the attacks, Saudi startup carrier Riyadh Air has confirmed it is temporarily transferring passenger operations to Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Al Qassim, with flights serving Cairo, Dhaka, Jeddah, London Heathrow, Lahore and Islamabad operating from Al Qassim until further notice.