Houthis Strike Riyadh Airport for Second Day, One Killed — SkimNews
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- Houthi forces struck Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport for the second time in two days on Sunday, killing one Pakistani resident and injuring 11 after a projectile hit Passenger Hall No. 4, per Saudi civil aviation authority.
- Saturday's prior strike on the same airport killed 13 and injured 308 — the deadliest single attack on a Gulf Arab country since the Israel-US-Iran war began in February — prompting the Saudi-led coalition to label it a "war crime."
- Houthi military spokesman Brig Gen Yahya Saree claimed the group used a mix of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones, warned all Saudi airports are targets except those in Mecca and Medina, and said the group also hit Dammam airport and oil facilities in eastern Saudi Arabia.
- The escalation follows the July collapse of a 2022 ceasefire and the group's rapid seizure of strategic Red Sea coast territory; the Iran-backed Houthis now control roughly a quarter of Yemen and as much as 80% of its population.
- President Donald Trump said the US would "make a decision" and "move very quickly" on whether to strike the Houthis, while UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the UK could "potentially" provide more support to Saudi Arabia.
- Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Saudi counterpart that Iran was ready to help "facilitate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen" — an unusual offer given the Houthis are an Iran-backed armed group.
Why it matters: The deadliest single attack on a Gulf Arab state since the Israel-US-Iran war began in February, paired with Trump's promise to "move very quickly" on striking the Houthis, signals a potential expansion from proxy fighting into direct US action against an Iran-backed group that now controls 80% of Yemen's population and refuses to be deterred by a collapsed 2022 ceasefire.
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