Houthis say they hit Riyadh, report strikes in Yemen

The Houthis claim that overnight between October 12 and 13 they fired a ballistic missile at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and sent a drone against Khamis Mushait air base, while Saudi Arabia has not confirmed any hits. Each new Houthi attack on Riyadh puts pressure on the energy market, which drives fuel prices in Serbia too, and most major international airlines have already cancelled flights to the Saudi capital.

What do the Houthis claim, and what has Riyadh confirmed?

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the airport was hit “precisely” and that the attack on Khamis Mushait was “direct”. In his words:

“Our armed forces successfully targeted King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh with a ballistic missile tonight. The attack was precise.”

Saudi Arabia has not confirmed the latest claims. A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition said several hours earlier that an unspecified number of projectiles had been intercepted and destroyed. The AP reports that air raid sirens and explosions were heard in the Saudi capital several hours before the Houthis announced their strikes.

What is known about the strikes on Yemen?

The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out airstrikes overnight, aimed at the border area in northern Yemen and at the west coast they control. The Houthi satellite channel Al Masirah reported that two strikes hit Kamaran island in the Red Sea and a third hit the Kanawis district, about 55 kilometers northwest of the port of Hodeidah. The same channel also reported strikes in Al Jawf province, along the Saudi border.

So far only the Houthis and their media have made these claims, and Riyadh has not responded to them. That means it cannot be said that Saudi Arabia “retaliated”, or that this is the first time: Saudi coalition strikes on Yemen have been reported before, and the Houthis say their attacks on Riyadh are revenge for Saudi strikes on the airports in Sanaa and Hodeidah. According to Serbian broadcaster RTS, the coalition promised a “decisive response” to the attacks on the airports, and a week ago Saudi-led forces launched an operation to take over Houthi-held areas, including the Bab el-Mandeb strait.

Saree added that Houthi forces shot down a Saudi Wing Loong II reconnaissance drone over Saada province, which he said was carrying out “hostile missions”.

Reports differ for Taiz province. Al Jazeera, citing the Taiz governorate human rights office and Yemeni state television, says at least five civilians were killed in Houthi shelling, among them a five-year-old child. RTS, citing Al Jazeera and the Yemeni agency Saba, writes of five injured, three of them children, and of one person injured in an attack on the Al Safwa hospital in Taiz.

How many people died in the attacks on King Khalid airport?

According to Al Jazeera and the Tanjug news agency, at least 14 people were killed and more than 300 injured in two attacks on King Khalid airport. The first killed one person and injured 11, while the second, over the weekend, killed 13 and injured more than 300. According to the AP, these are the deadliest attacks on Saudi Arabia since the war between the US and Iran began. Our first report on the weekend attack said 12 were dead, and the toll later rose.

Airlines responded by cancelling routes:

• Lufthansa Group cancelled flights to Riyadh until October 16
• Gulf Air is not flying to or from Riyadh from October 12 to 17
• Etihad cancelled Abu Dhabi-Riyadh flights until October 19, along with 10 flights to Dammam and Jeddah
• Air India extended its suspension to October 15, and Air France-KLM to the end of October
• Qatar Airways suspended flights to Riyadh and Dammam
• Cathay Pacific postponed its Hong Kong-Riyadh and Hong Kong-Dubai route until January 31, 2027, and Delta pushed back its Atlanta-Riyadh launch to March 2027

What are Washington, Cairo and Qatar saying?

US President Donald Trump said after the attack that killed 13 people that he is considering having the US join the strikes on the Houthis, called the attack unacceptable and announced a conversation with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. At a campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio, he spoke about Iran:

“Maybe we went too far with the leaders because we no longer know who the hell we are dealing with.”

He added that “nobody wants to be president of Iran”, and repeated that Iran lost its air force and all 159 of its ships, which now “rest beautifully on the bottom of the sea”. Houthi political representative Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said on Monday: “A swift and painful response will follow, aimed at the US and all of its interests in the region.” He warned workers at Saudi oil facilities and airports to “stay away from those locations”.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told Bloomberg TV on the sidelines of IMF meetings in Bangkok: “We will provide every kind of support without any reservations.” The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, said that “efforts must be doubled to ensure navigation in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz”.

His words come as attacks on ships in the Gulf continue: the British agency UKMTO has recorded at least 19 attacks since October 1. Iran is still considering the US response to the proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and will reply through mediators, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said. The head of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, warned that the world faces the most serious energy crisis in history and that global oil stocks are shrinking fast.

For now, only the airline deadlines are known: Lufthansa is not flying to Riyadh until October 16, Gulf Air until October 17, and Etihad until October 19.