Riyadh was jolted by loud booms on Thursday as Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis claimed they had fired a ballistic missile at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, with smoke later seen rising from a stationary aircraft. The reported strike disrupted flights.
News agency Reuters, citing a witness and three people briefed on the matter, reported that smoke was seen rising from a stationary aircraft at Riyadh airport, which was thought to be empty. Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 said on X that Riyadh airport had been closed again, with the last landing recorded more than 80 minutes earlier and the last take-off more than 90 minutes earlier.
The developments marked a sharp escalation in the Houthis' campaign against Saudi Arabia as Yemen's civil war, dormant for years, has erupted again amid the wider US-Iran conflict
HOUTHIS THREATEN SAUDI AIRSPACE
The Houthis confirmed the strike in a statement, saying they had launched a ballistic missile at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and renewed their warning that they could force Saudi airspace to close.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said, "Our armed forces have succeeded in targeting King Khalid Airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile today, which successfully struck its target, causing damage and disrupting air traffic at the airport.
The group has stepped up attacks on Saudi cities and infrastructure after Riyadh backed forces loyal to Yemen's internationally recognised government in its renewed fight against the Houthis.
The Saudi government did not immediately comment on the reported attack or the airport disruption. The Saudi-led coalition said in a post on X that its forces had destroyed two ballistic missiles launched towards Riyadh. The coalition has previously reported intercepting Houthi missiles aimed at the Saudi capital.
The Houthis have also warned airlines and airports in the region, raising concerns over the safety of commercial aviation as the conflict spreads beyond Yemen's borders.
The latest incident came after Saudi authorities said on Wednesday that three people had been killed this week in strikes targeting Riyadh airport and Abha airport in the kingdom's southwest.
RIYADH BUSINESSES SHIFT TO REMOTE WORK
The reported attack sent ripples through Riyadh's business district.
Several multinational companies operating in the city's King Abdullah Financial District, or KAFD, instructed employees to work from home following the loud booms heard on Thursday morning, according to Reuters.
Some diplomats also said they had received security warnings, while several schools in Riyadh reportedly told parents that students should shelter in place.
HOUTHI OFFENSIVE SPARKS FRESH TENSIONS
Yemen's civil war had largely remained frozen under a ceasefire reached in 2022. That fragile calm has now unravelled.
The Houthis, who control Yemen's capital Sanaa and many of the country's most heavily populated areas, have made fresh territorial gains along the Red Sea coast, including areas near the strategically vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The group says its latest offensive is a response to attacks by Saudi-backed forces supporting Yemen's internationally recognised government. The government has denied that it initiated the renewed escalation in the way described by the Houthis.
In response, Saudi-backed forces launched a counteroffensive this week and recaptured areas around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. But the Houthis have also expanded on other fronts. They have surrounded Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city, after taking territory along its main mountainous route towards Aden.
The renewed fighting has already exacted a heavy civilian toll. Around 200,000 people have been displaced since the conflict resumed, according to the information provided, adding another layer to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country.
Source: India Today