Saudis down 3 Houthi missiles as Riyadh airport stays shut

Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed three Houthi ballistic missiles on Monday, Oct. 12. One was shot down over Riyadh and two over Khamis Mushait in the southwest. King Khalid International Airport in the capital remained closed after a week of attacks that have killed at least 20 people. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki announced the interceptions on X. Witnesses in Riyadh reported three loud explosions on Monday night after residents received warning messages on their phones.yahoo+3

The latest projectile hit the airport on Sunday, Oct. 11, not Monday. It struck Terminal 4 and started a fire, killing a Pakistani resident and injuring 11 people, according to the General Authority of Civil Aviation. Air defenses also shot down a cruise missile near the airport.arabnews+2

Houthis claim new strikes and warn airlines

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had hit the airport with a ballistic missile on Monday evening and had also targeted the Khamis Mushait air base. Saudi authorities said the Riyadh missile was destroyed in the air and caused no casualties. Saree warned airlines worldwide that every Saudi airport is unsafe, except those serving Mecca and Medina. After the explosions, Saudi civil defense said "the danger to the city of Riyadh has passed" and told residents to avoid gatherings and photography.thehill+2

The aviation authority extended the airport shutdown to finish safety checks. Several hundred flights have been cancelled, and a notice to air missions suggests the airport will stay closed until at least Oct. 17. The Houthis also said they hit King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, and Saudi authorities confirmed it had been targeted on Sunday.yahoo+1

Deadliest strike in a decade prompts a defense review

On Saturday, Oct. 10, a missile strike on the airport killed 13 people and wounded 309. It was the deadliest attack on Saudi soil in more than a decade. The coalition called it a "full-fledged war crime" and vowed to "respond decisively". The Associated Press, citing two regional officials, reported that Riyadh has opened an investigation into how its air defenses failed. According to that early review, the Houthis first sent drones to clear a path for cruise and ballistic missiles.thenationalnews+3

"The events of recent weeks are serious," Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said Monday. "Our response must be equally serious". President Donald Trump has said the United States "may" join Saudi strikes on the Houthis.vanguardngr+1

Escalation in Yemen

The Houthis say their attacks respond to an intensified Saudi air campaign. The Houthi-run health ministry says Saudi-led strikes have killed 107 people since Sept. 3, a figure CNN could not independently verify. The fighting picked up after a truce collapsed in July, and it is tied to the wider U.S.-Israeli war with Iran that began in February. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told his Saudi counterpart that Tehran was ready to help start a dialogue.rferl+3

"Saudi Arabia is so large that it's simply impossible for them to consistently defend themselves," said Thomas Juneau, a security analyst at the University of Ottawa.english.mathrubhumi