Saudi Arabia Says It Intercepted 10 Ballistic Missiles as Riyadh Airport Reopens
Key Facts
The coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed 10 ballistic missiles launched toward the southern region on October 25, according to the Saudi Press Agency, on a day that also saw projectiles intercepted en route to Riyadh and Khamis Mushait. The agency said air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh and destroyed a drone in the Riyadh region. It also reported the interception of a cruise missile launched toward Khamis Mushait. In a separate account carried by Reuters, the coalition said two drones and a ballistic missile had been launched toward Riyadh, and a cruise missile toward Khamis Mushait, before it announced the interception of the 10 missiles in the south. The number of projectiles reported as launched therefore differs from the interception details published for each incident separately.
Saudi authorities issued emergency alerts in Riyadh, Abha and Khamis Mushait, then announced minutes later that the threat had passed, Reuters reported. The alerts coincided with the resumption of operations at King Khalid International Airport, which said terminals 1 and 2 would reopen for domestic and international flights from Sunday, October 25. Reuters reported that terminal 1 was assigned to domestic flights, while terminal 2 was assigned to international flights operated by national carriers. Limited domestic flights had returned to the airport during the previous week, according to the Associated Press. The gradual return of air traffic places the reopening of both terminals in the context of a restart after an earlier shutdown, while security warnings continued in the region.
The airport had halted operations on October 10 after an attack claimed by the Houthis that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, according to a Reuters report. The Associated Press reported that strikes in early October hit a complex containing two other airport terminals, killing 17 people and injuring more than 330. This toll differs from Reuters’ account in its description of the incident and the period it covers, so each figure remains tied to the source that reported it. Published statements on the interceptions on October 25 did not link the intercepted projectiles to attacks on energy facilities or the airport. A day earlier, Civil Defense said teams in the Mecca and Medina regions had dealt with falling debris after intercepting two ballistic missiles launched toward the areas.
Civil Defense said parts of the missiles fell in Wadi Al-Maghmas in Mecca, while interception fragments fell in Jeddah’s Al-Nuzha district, Wadi Jalil in Taif and the Masturah center in Rabigh. In remarks carried by Reuters, the Houthis said they had targeted the airport and Saudi oil facilities on Saturday, while Saudi authorities did not comment directly on those statements. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree described the airport as still being a “military target,” warning airlines, workers and travelers against using it. By contrast, the Gulf Cooperation Council General Secretariat called on the international community to take a firm stance and effective measures to end the attacks, and its secretary-general said Saudi Arabia’s security was an integral part of the security of GCC states. These statements show that the declared threat to the airport continued as flights resumed, without establishing that the interceptions announced that day targeted the airport or oil facilities.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said on October 20 that it was expanding its defense support for Saudi Arabia to include defensive air patrols by Typhoon aircraft, confirming that the planes would not carry out offensive strikes against the Houthis. This comes as Reuters reported that renewed fighting in Yemen had ended a United Nations-brokered truce that had largely held since 2022. Saudi Arabia intervened in the Yemen war in 2015, after the Houthis took control of Sanaa the previous year. While flights resumed through both Riyadh airport terminals, the Houthi warning against using the airport remained in statements carried by Reuters. The available reports gave no later date for a change in operating arrangements or the course of the escalation.