Flights resume at Riyadh airport as Houthis attack Saudi Arabia

Flights resumed at Riyadh’s international airport on Sunday following a series of deadly attacks on the facility that saw it closed for two weeks, even as Yemen’s Houthis targeted the country with strikes. King Khalid International Airport’s website showed several domestic and international flights scheduled on Sunday, including arrivals to the kingdom from Dubai, Paris and Cairo.

The renewed operations at the airport came as explosions rattled Riyadh early Sunday, after a text message was sent to residents warning of a hostile threat targeting the city. The airport closure was a major blow for Saudi Arabia, with the kingdom’s flagship investment conference postponed until 2027 as residents scrambled to find alternatives to enter and exit the country.

The prestigious motor sport race, the Dakar Rally, also added its name to a long list of events to be cancelled, postponed or relocated amid the fallout from the war. Saudi officials did not provide additional information when asked by AFP about the scope of the renewed operations at the airport. But the tracking website Flightradar24 showed a small number of flights had departed, though the vast majority were cancelled.

The Houthis have carried out waves of strikes on the airport, including an attack this month that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, the deadliest in the kingdom in more than a decade. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree earlier warned that Riyadh airport was still “unsafe” and a “military target”. “The Yemeni Armed Forces warn all international, regional and local airlines — as well as staff and travellers — against using King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, as it is unsafe and serves as a military target for our forces,” he said.

“The Saudi regime shall bear the consequences of any operations at the airport.” – ‘Everything is shaking’ – Later on Sunday, Saree said Saudi Arabia had struck Yemen dozens of times over the previous 24 hours. “During the past 24 hours, Saudi warplanes launched 56 airstrikes and missiles targeting civilian objects in the governorates of Hajjah, Lahj, Amran, Saada, Al-Jawf, Taiz and Ibb using F-15 and “Typhoon” planes that took off from the bases of Khamis Mushait and Taif, and missiles from Najran,” he said on X.

As operations at the airport restarted, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived in Riyadh and met with Saudi de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. During the meeting, Mitsotakis “responded favourably to the kingdom’s request to keep the Patriot system in Saudi Arabia, given the current challenging circumstances”, his office said.

Greece has deployed a battery to operate the US-made Patriot air defence system in Yanbu, a major oil export hub on the Red Sea coast. The SPA news agency added that the two leaders “underscored the critical importance of safeguarding the security and integrity of international maritime corridors and ensuring the safe and continuous flow of energy supplies to global markets”.

Earlier, the Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Houthis said it intercepted at least 10 ballistic missiles. The fighting erupted after a years-long truce between the Houthis and Yemen’s Riyadh-backed government fell apart. “The bombardment has been very heavy since this morning — may God keep us safe. Everything is shaking because of the explosions,” one resident in Khamis Mushait told AFP on Sunday on condition of anonymity.

The kingdom’s civil defence agency later said two people were injured in the south by falling debris, also reporting damage to several buildings and vehicles. Images released by the official Saudi Press Agency showed a building with part of its upper facade destroyed, exposing metal rods. Another image captured large windows shattered, with shards of glass strewn across the pavement and part of the road. – Attack warning – AFP journalists in Riyadh heard three explosions in the early hours of Sunday, with residents receiving alert messages for a “hostile aerial threat” and urging them to stay in a safe place.

The warning came as the Saudi-led coalition said it had downed a ballistic missile launched by the group towards the capital, as well as two drones in the Riyadh area. “Air defences intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward Riyadh,” the coalition posted on X. Later Sunday morning, the coalition said its forces intercepted a cruise missile fired by the Houthis at the kingdom’s southern city of Khamis Mushait.

Attacks appeared to target areas across the south, with warnings also issued for Abha city along with areas in Taif, Namas and Jazan. The attacks came after the Houthis said they targeted three Saudi airports, including in Riyadh, energy installations, a pipeline and an air base within 24 hours.