Riyadh airport reopens as Houthis fire missiles, calling it a "military target"
After a two-week closure, the Saudi capital's airport partially resumed operations. The coalition says it intercepted 12 missiles and two drones.
Archive image · Photo: Kharbaan Ghaltaan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport partially resumed operations on Sunday after a two-week closure; according to CBS News, Terminals 1 and 2 reopened for domestic and international flights. Hours later, Yemen's Houthis said they had attacked the airport with ballistic missiles. Their military spokesman Yahya Saree called it "unsafe" and a "military target" and warned airlines, staff and travelers. He also warned against using Saudi airspace, except over Mecca and Medina. A Houthi attack on the airport in early October killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, according to AFP.
The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted 12 missiles and two drones, including one ballistic missile and two drones over the Riyadh region. Saudi Civil Defense said a Saudi citizen and an Asian resident were injured by debris in Khamis Mushait and Ahad Rafidah, and three residential buildings and seven vehicles were damaged. On Monday, the coalition said it had destroyed missile launchers in Sanaa, according to Reuters.
The Houthis said their attacks were retaliation for Saudi air strikes the previous day that they said killed or wounded dozens of people. Saree spoke of 56 Saudi air and missile strikes in 24 hours across seven provinces. Neither side's claims could be independently verified. Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy said after meeting UN Secretary-General António Guterres in Cairo that the league rejects attacks on Arab countries.