Explosions rang out in the Saudi capital on Sunday (October 25, 2026), as the kingdom was due to reopen Riyadh international airport despite repeated attacks by Yemen’s Houthis.
The warning came as the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said it had downed a ballistic missile launched by the group towards Riyadh, as well as two drones in the capital area. The fighting erupted after a years-long truce between the Houthis and Yemen’s Riyadh-backed government fell apart, and has shifted the focus of the wider U.S.-Iran war. The Houthis also fired at the southern Yemeni city of Aden, the interim seat of the Saudi-backed government, saying they targeted a naval base and military camp overseen by Saudi forces.
Riyadh’s international airport said flights would resume on Sunday (October 25, 2026) after a two-week closure following the Houthi strikes. Later Sunday (October 25, 2026) morning, the coalition said its forces intercepted a cruise missile fired by the Houthis at the kingdom’s southern city of Khamis Mushait. The attacks came after the Houthi fighters said that — in the space of 24 hours — they targeted three Saudi airports, including in Riyadh, energy installations, a pipeline and an air base.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces warn all international, regional, and local airlines — as well as staff and travellers — against using King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, as it is unsafe and serves as a military target for our forces,” he said.
The Saudi civil defence agency said it had also responded to falling debris in the Mecca and Medina regions on Saturday (October 24, 2026) after intercepting two Houthi missiles.
