By Robeka Irfan — SCN News
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 8 — Explosions were heard across Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh on Thursday as Yemen's Houthi movement claimed another ballistic missile attack on the city's international airport, disrupting flights and prompting businesses and schools to take security precautions amid a widening conflict between the kingdom and the Iran-aligned group.
The Houthis said they had targeted King Khalid International Airport and renewed threats to disrupt Saudi airspace in retaliation for Riyadh's support of Yemeni government forces fighting the movement. Saudi authorities did not immediately confirm Thursday's claimed strike or report fresh casualties, while the source of several explosions heard across the capital could not be independently established.
The latest incident followed attacks on Saudi airports earlier in the week that killed three people and wounded 36, according to the kingdom's General Authority of Civil Aviation. One person was killed and eight wounded at King Khalid International Airport, while two people died and 28 were injured in a separate attack on Abha International Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Flight operations at Riyadh airport remained disrupted on Thursday, with numerous departures and arrivals delayed as airlines responded to the deteriorating security situation. Flight-tracking data showed 58 departures delayed and 11 cancelled during the morning, affecting services to destinations including Cairo, Aden, Dubai and Istanbul.
Several multinational companies operating in Riyadh's King Abdullah Financial District instructed employees to work from home following the explosions, according to people familiar with the decisions. Some diplomats received security warnings, while schools advised parents to keep children indoors or shelter in place, although Saudi authorities had not issued a general public warning at the time.
The attacks have brought the renewed war in Yemen directly into Saudi Arabia's capital, increasing pressure on the kingdom as its military supports an offensive against Houthi forces along Yemen's western coastline. Saudi-backed government troops are attempting to reverse Houthi territorial gains near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategically important waterway connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Saudi Arabia's military coalition said it had struck more than 80 Houthi military targets across Yemen in response to the attacks, including positions in Saada, Hodeidah, Jawf and Marib. The coalition warned that strikes on civilian aviation facilities would not go unanswered, while the Houthis maintained that their operations would continue as long as Saudi Arabia supported the offensive against them.
The latest escalation has renewed fears of a prolonged cross-border conflict after years of reduced hostilities following a United Nations-brokered truce in 2022. That agreement sharply curtailed major fighting but failed to deliver a comprehensive political settlement, leaving Yemen divided between the Houthis, who control Sanaa and much of the north, and the internationally recognised government.
The Houthis seized additional stretches of Yemen's Red Sea coastline in recent weeks, including areas near the southern approaches to Bab el-Mandeb. Their advances have alarmed Saudi Arabia and its allies because military control of territory overlooking the strait could threaten commercial shipping and energy shipments travelling between the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal.
The widening conflict has also prompted Saudi Arabia to seek military and logistical assistance from regional partners. Turkey has announced plans to provide defensive and technical support, including equipment and intelligence cooperation, while Pakistani sources said Islamabad had transported military equipment to Aden and deployed personnel within Saudi Arabia to assist with border defence.
The assistance is linked to security cooperation among Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, which agreed to a mutual defence framework earlier this year. Ankara has yet to ratify the agreement, and the support announced so far has largely focused on defensive capabilities rather than direct participation in offensive operations inside Yemen.
Syria is also considering whether to provide assistance to Saudi Arabia, although no decision to deploy forces has been announced. A Syrian diplomatic official said Damascus supported the kingdom but remained focused on domestic reconstruction and recovery following years of civil war.
The prospect of additional countries becoming involved has raised concerns that Yemen's conflict could expand into a broader regional confrontation. The fighting has already become closely connected to the war involving the United States and Iran, with Saudi Arabia facing renewed threats from a movement that has developed substantial missile and drone capabilities over more than a decade of warfare.
Iran has long supported the Houthis politically, while Saudi Arabia and Western governments accuse Tehran of providing weapons technology and other military assistance. The Houthis maintain that they make their own military decisions, and Iran has rejected allegations that it directly controls the group's operations.
Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in strengthening its air defences against ballistic missiles and unmanned aircraft, but repeated attacks on airports and other infrastructure have demonstrated the difficulties of protecting civilian facilities from sustained long-range strikes. The latest incidents have also complicated commercial aviation operations in a region already affected by restrictions and security concerns linked to the wider Middle East conflict.
Air India and Air India Express have suspended services to and from Riyadh until October 10 following the latest security developments. Other airlines have delayed or cancelled individual flights, while the United States Embassy has urged American citizens in Saudi Arabia to remain vigilant and check airline schedules before travelling.
The disruption comes as international energy markets face renewed uncertainty over shipping through the Middle East. Bab el-Mandeb is a major passage for commercial vessels travelling between Asia and Europe, and prolonged instability around the strait could force additional ships to divert around Africa, increasing transportation costs and delivery times.
The humanitarian consequences inside Yemen are also worsening. More than 200,000 people have been displaced during the latest fighting, according to international migration officials, adding to the millions already affected by years of conflict, economic collapse and shortages of essential services.
Saudi Arabia intervened militarily in Yemen in 2015 after the Houthis seized Sanaa and expanded their control across northern and western parts of the country. Years of fighting failed to produce a decisive military victory, prompting Riyadh to pursue negotiations intended to reduce attacks and establish conditions for a political settlement.
Those diplomatic efforts have come under increasing strain as renewed Houthi advances and Saudi-backed military operations have brought the two sides into direct confrontation. The latest attacks on Riyadh and Abha demonstrate that the conflict is no longer confined to Yemen's front lines, with civilian airports and commercial aviation now facing immediate security risks.
The Houthis have threatened further attacks on Saudi aviation facilities and infrastructure, while the Saudi-led coalition has signalled that military operations against Houthi positions will continue. With additional regional governments considering support for Riyadh and fighting intensifying around Bab el-Mandeb, the latest escalation has raised the prospect of a wider and more prolonged conflict.