Flights resumed today at Riyadh International Airport, which had been closed for two weeks, following attacks launched by Yemen’s pro-Iranian Houthi rebels, who also launched new strikes against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today.
The airport’s website has announced numerous domestic and international flights, mainly from Dubai, Paris, and Cairo.
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In the early hours of the morning, explosions were heard in the capital—a journalist from Agence France-Presse counted three—following the dispatch of a warning text message urging residents to seek shelter as an imminent aerial threat loomed. The military coalition led by Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen’s internationally recognized government against the Houthis, announced that it had shot down a ballistic missile heading toward the city as well as two unmanned aerial vehicles.
In light of these developments, the organizers of the 2027 Dakar Rally—the world’s most famous and demanding car race— have stated that, if the rally does ultimately take place, it will not be held in Saudi Arabia, as originally planned, from January 1 through 15. The new location will be announced within the next few days.
Many major international events have already been canceled or postponed in Saudi Arabia, such as a major investment forum that was rescheduled for 2027, after the war in Yemen resumed in July.
Saudi officials interviewed by AFP did not provide further details on the extent to which flights at the airport have resumed. According to the specialized website Flightradar24, some flights took off today, but most were postponed.
The Houthis, who are now striking Saudi Arabia on an almost daily basis, warned again today against using the “King Khalid” Airport in Riyadh, which “is a military target.” Their spokesman, Yahya Sari, said that if the airport resumes operations, “the Saudi regime will have to bear responsibility for the consequences.” On Saturday, they had stated that the rebels had struck the airport again, a claim that Riyadh did not comment on.
The scale of the attacks against the kingdom in recent weeks is unprecedented since the war in Yemen broke out in 2014. The ceasefire agreed upon in 2022 collapsed in July. The deadliest Houthi strike on the airport in the Saudi capital claimed the lives of 13 people and injured hundreds in mid-October.
According to the military coalition, the Iran-backed rebels carried out several attacks today, all of which were intercepted, in the southern part of the kingdom, where warnings to residents came one after another throughout the day.
“Everything is shaking”
“The bombings have been very intense since this morning (…) Everything is shaking because of the explosions,” said a resident of the city of Hamis Musait—which is home to an air base—who asked not to be named.
The coalition announced that it had intercepted ten ballistic missiles and one cruise missile targeting Hamis Musait.
The Civil Defense Agency reported that two people were injured in southern Saudi Arabia by falling debris and that several buildings and vehicles sustained damage. A photograph released by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) shows a building with part of its facade destroyed, revealing the metal beams inside. In another photo, glass shards cover the sidewalk and part of the street, next to large, shattered storefront windows.
On the Yemeni side, the Houthi-run Al Masirah TV channel reported numerous Saudi strikes that claimed the lives of 17 people, mainly in Sana’a, the capital controlled by the rebels.
On Saturday, the coalition reported that it had intercepted several missiles and a Houthi drone. The Houthis claimed they launched strikes on Aden, the temporary seat of the Yemeni government, primarily targeting a naval base and a military camp controlled by Saudi forces.
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Source: APE-MPE
