Houthis issue new threat to Saudi airspace after deadly Riyadh airport attack

Yemen's Houthis issued a new threat to Saudi Arabia's airspace on Sunday, a day after an attack on Riyadh's international airport killed 12 people and wounded hundreds. The attack was the deadliest on Saudi soil in more than a decade and a sharp escalation in the Yemen war.

What is the Houthi threat to Saudi airspace?

The Houthis threatened new attacks on Saudi airports, excluding the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, and warned passengers not to travel. They stopped short of claiming Saturday's strike. The Saudi-led coalition attributed it to the group and vowed to respond.

"The airports and airspace are exposed to targeting and constitute a theatre of operations for our forces," military spokesman Yahya Saree wrote on X. The strike came in a week when the group intensified attacks on the capital's King Khalid International Airport, where three people were also killed on Thursday.

A coalition spokesman called Saturday's attack a "full-fledged war crime" and blamed the Iran-backed group. A diplomatic source also attributed the strike to a Houthi missile. On Sunday, Houthi media reported that two Saudi strikes had targeted Sanaa governorate, which the Houthis control.

How many people were killed in the Riyadh airport attack?

Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority said four Saudi citizens were among the dead. The others were two Bangladeshis and one each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan. It said some of the 309 wounded were in serious condition.

A Western diplomat based in Riyadh told AFP that the official number of injured did not appear to give a full picture of the aftermath. The diplomat said the figure also does not seem to include those with minor wounds.

One passenger told AFP they witnessed a strike in the airport's domestic terminal. "I was on gate 403," the witness said. "I saw 401 hit, I saw injured in front of my eyes. Everyone was running."

Is Riyadh airport closed after the Houthi attack?

Authorities suspended operations at the airport into Sunday, a senior aviation source told AFP. Air traffic monitor Flightradar24 said the closure was extended until 2100 GMT. A second source who helps oversee flights to Riyadh confirmed the halt "until further notice".

"The information we have is... that some systems have been damaged: the radar and communications equipment," the source told AFP. Runways also needed to be assessed, the source added.

The US, Canadian, German and Spanish embassies warned their citizens to avoid the airport. A senior Western diplomat said several embassies were banning staff from using it "over the next week". The US embassy said staff must now request permission to use airports in Dammam and Jeddah, days after a similar order for Riyadh.

The coalition also announced on Saturday evening that a projectile fell near Dammam airport, in the east of the kingdom. The Riyadh attack prompted health officials to activate a rare mass call-up of doctors, a medical source said. Schools in Riyadh switched to remote learning for the second time in a month, according to emails seen by AFP.

How has the world reacted to the Houthi attack?

The assault drew condemnation from a UN special envoy and several world leaders, including US President Donald Trump. He said it was "not acceptable" and that he was looking at joining Saudi strikes against the Houthis. "We may. We're going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack, so we'll make a decision," he told reporters at the White House.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen called the strike a "dangerous escalation". Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the "heinous attack", and Jordan called it "brutal".

Why does the attack matter for Saudi Arabia and Yemen?

It was the deadliest attack in the kingdom since May 2015, when an Islamic State suicide bombing killed 21 worshippers in the eastern Qatif governorate. It also came on the eve of Saudi Arabia's high-profile convention and entertainment season. Riyadh usually hosts a packed calendar of events, including its flagship investment conference drawing foreign leaders and business titans.

The WPC Energy Congress kicked off in Riyadh on Sunday after being delayed by the outbreak of the US-Iran war in February. Saudi Arabia leads an international coalition that has supported Yemen's government militarily since 2015.

In Yemen, Saudi-supported government forces were advancing against the Houthis around the Bab al-Mandab strait, a key chokepoint for Red Sea oil and cargo shipping, military sources told AFP on Saturday. The Houthis captured the area last month and claimed to have repelled the advance. The government announced a counter-offensive last week, and claims by the warring parties have been impossible to independently verify.