Houthis announce targeting King Khalid Airport in Riyadh and two bases in Khamis Mushait and Jazan
The Houthis announced on the evening of Sunday, October 25, that they carried out three operations using dozens of ballistic missiles that they said targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait, and the southern naval base of the Border Guard in Jazan, while no Saudi comment had been issued on this account at the time of publication.
The Houthis announced on the evening of Sunday, October 25, that they carried out three operations using dozens of ballistic missiles inside Saudi territory, saying they targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an air base in Khamis Mushait and a naval base in Jazan — on the same day that the airport partially resumed flights after a closure of about two weeks.
Three targets, according to the statement
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a statement broadcast by the group’s media at 9 p.m. that the first operation targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and “achieved its objective,” while the second struck aircraft parking areas, ammunition depots, drone control centers and other sites at King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait. He added that the third operation targeted the southern naval base of the Border Guard forces in Jazan, claiming it caused fatalities and injuries among Saudi soldiers and officers.
The Houthis presented these operations as a response to raids they said the coalition carried out yesterday on Sanaa and other provinces that resulted in dozens of dead and wounded, and they renewed warnings to airlines, staff and passengers against using King Khalid Airport or flying in Saudi airspace except for the airspace over Mecca and Medina.
No Saudi confirmation yet
The coalition and Saudi authorities had not issued any comment on the Houthi account at the time of publication, and no damage at the airport or at the sites mentioned in the statement had been reported, nor had any new suspension of flights been announced.
A busy day of interceptions
Earlier on the same day, coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki announced the interception of a ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicles in the Riyadh area, a cruise missile launched toward Khamis Mushait, and 10 ballistic missiles toward the southern region. The Saudi Civil Defense reported two people injured and damage to three residential buildings and seven vehicles from the fall of shrapnel from two missiles in Khamis Mushait and Ahad Rufaydah, while King Khalid Airport resumed flights from Terminal 1 for domestic services and Terminal 2 for international services operated by national carriers, with limited movement.
