Houthi forces warn against use of Saudi airports following Riyadh attack

Yemen’s Houthis have delivered renewed warnings to stay away from all Saudi airports except Mecca and Medina, one day after an alleged Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital city of Riyadh.

In a post on X on Sunday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree warned all shipping companies, airlines, employees and travellers against using airports in Saudi Arabia.

“The airports and airspace are exposed to targeting and constitute a theatre of operations for our forces, with the exception of Mecca and Medina,” he added, referring to the two holiest cities in Islam.

Saree urged “everyone to take our warnings seriously” and said Saudi Arabia “bore responsibility for failed interceptions” of the attack.

Authorities suspended operations at the airport until 21:00 GMT on Sunday, according to a Notice to Air Missions (Notam) issued by Saudi civil aviation authorities, after the attack killed 12 and injured more than 300 others in the deadliest strike on the kingdom for more than a decade.