Riyadh reopens two airport terminals amid fresh missile alerts
Two terminals at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport resumed operations on Sunday after disruption following Houthi attacks. The Saudi-led coalition reported further missile and drone interceptions as the terminals reopened. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree renewed his warning against using the airport, leaving the limited restart accompanied by competing statements about its safety.
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Two terminals resume services in Riyadh
Two terminals at King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, resumed operations on Sunday. The airport’s late-Saturday announcement assigned international flights to Terminal 2 and domestic flights to Terminal 1. The restart followed disruption after earlier Houthi attacks on the airport.[1], [2]
Operations had been halted following the October 10 attack, which killed 13 people and injured more than 300. Sunday’s return covered the two announced terminals. The Houthis, the armed movement also known as Ansar Allah that controls Yemen’s capital Sanaa, continued to warn airlines and passengers against using the facility.[1]
Houthi warnings accompany the restart
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree maintained that King Khalid airport remained a military target and was unsafe. He warned international, regional and local airlines, employees and travellers against using it, and said Saudi authorities would bear the consequences of operating the airport.[1]
The coalition reports new interceptions
The Saudi-led coalition reported fresh missile and drone interceptions on Sunday. Spokesman Major-General Turki al-Maliki said forces destroyed a ballistic missile headed towards Riyadh and intercepted a drone in the capital’s region. He also reported interception of a cruise missile directed at Khamis Mushait, a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia.[1]
A subsequent coalition statement reported the destruction of 10 ballistic missiles over southern areas. Those figures are the coalition’s account, rather than an independently verified interception tally. Explosions were heard in Riyadh as the latest alerts coincided with the limited return of airport operations.[1]
