The Saudi-led military coalition said on Monday (October 26, 2026) it intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthis, after the Iran-backed group claimed a new attack on the international airport in Riyadh.
On Sunday (October 25, 2026), the Houthis said they had launched an attack on the airport in Riyadh, after the kingdom announced that flights had resumed.
Coalition spokesman Turki Al-Malki said on Monday (October 26, 2026) that air defences “intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile” fired by the Houthis toward Riyadh, and destroyed two ballistic missile launchers in Yemen’s capital Sanaa. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Monday the group “successfully targeted” the airport with a ballistic missile, and struck oil pumping stations with drones. “The Saudi regime shall bear the consequences of any operations at the airport,” the spokesman said.
Saudi Arabia and the government it backs in Yemen have come under sustained attack in recent weeks from the Houthis as a years-long truce broke down in the summer, shifting the focus of the wider US-Iran war that erupted in February. As operations resumed at Riyadh airport, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met Saudi de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
During the meeting, Mitsotakis “responded favourably to the kingdom’s request to keep the Patriot system in Saudi Arabia, given the current challenging circumstances”, his office said.
