Houthis claim new missile strike on Riyadh airport as Taiz siege deepens in Yemen

Claimed strike on Riyadh airport

The Houthi rebels of Yemen claimed on Wednesday, 4 November, a new missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. Military spokesman Yahya Sari said a projectile hit the airport directly and caused "significant damage". Saudi authorities had not commented on the claim at the time of reporting. Sari repeated a warning to airlines, airport staff and travellers to avoid Saudi airspace, except the airspace above Mecca and Medina. The Houthis consider Saudi airspace a "dangerous zone".

Three operations and further claims

Sari said three operations had been carried out during the morning. The first targeted a radar installation on the Al Qahma peninsula with a drone, according to a statement the group published on its Telegram account. A ballistic missile was said to have hit a camp in Najran, and a missile struck a border guard command and control building in Jizan, where Sari said there had been fatalities. The group further claimed six ballistic missiles hit east of Al Yauf governorate against what it called Saudi reinforcements, saying the strike left dozens dead and wounded. Reports put the death toll from the Jizan and Al Yauf attacks in the dozens. The Houthis also claimed to have shot down an "enemy" reconnaissance drone over Taiz province. Saudi civil defence had warned of dangers in Riyadh and other provinces since the night before, and on Wednesday morning it issued a brief alert about a "potential danger" in Riyadh province that was lifted shortly afterwards.

Airport closures and the wider war

Lethal attacks forced the airport to close for two weeks in October, and it reopened only partially at the end of that month. Over recent weeks the Houthis have attacked airports and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, sometimes causing deaths and injuries. Renewed fighting in Yemen dates to mid-July, when government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition bombed Sanaa airport to stop an Iranian aircraft from landing. The Houthis then launched an offensive that extended their positions on the southwest coast and began hitting Saudi energy, economic and infrastructure sites. The coalition and government forces responded with renewed bombing and a counteroffensive called "Dawn of Yemen", which so far does not appear to have regained lost ground.

The conflict in Yemen began in 2014, and the Houthis, who are supported by Iran according to newsORF, now control much of the country, including Sanaa.

Siege of Taiz and humanitarian crisis

Houthi forces are fighting near the strategically important city of Taiz against government troops backed by allied militias and Saudi Arabia. The Houthis are also attacking targets in Aden, the southern coastal city where the internationally recognised government is seated. Houthi rebels have encircled Taiz again for weeks, and supplies of water, food, clothing and other goods are running short. Hospitals lack fuel and medicine. A UN spokesperson said relief organisations could not deliver to Taiz because roads were blocked, a statement reported on Tuesday, 3 November. The Red Cross said four trucks carrying important medical supplies had reached the besieged city, while aid organisations say about 800,000 people in Yemen are cut off from vital aid.

Casualties and displacement

The World Health Organization says more than 1,600 people have been killed and more than 7,300 injured in the recent fighting. Those figures do not separate combatants from civilians. Because they exclude casualties in Houthi-controlled areas, they do not cover the whole country. Since the renewed fighting began, more than 300,000 people have been displaced.