Houthis warn travellers against using Saudi airports after deadly Riyadh attack

Yemen's Houthi group on Sunday morning warned travellers and airlines against using Saudi Arabian airports, a day after a missile strike on Riyadh's main international airport killed at least 12 people. The Houthis are an Iran-backed armed group fighting government forces in Yemen. It was the group's first public statement since Saturday's attack.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said airports and airspace "are exposed to targeting" and are a theatre of operations for the group's forces. He said the Houthis were pursuing "airport for airport, siege for siege, and escalation for escalation". The airports in Mecca and Medina, the holiest cities in Islam, were excluded from the warning.

The Riyadh attack

Saturday's strike was the third on King Khalid International Airport, the Saudi capital's main airport, this week. The missile got past Saudi air defences and hit terminals 3 and 4, where hundreds of passengers were waiting for domestic flights. Saudi officials say 309 people were injured. The dead include four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis, a Palestinian, a US citizen, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian and a Sudanese. A projectile also fell near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, which has served as an important alternative to Riyadh.

King Khalid remained closed on Sunday, and it is not yet clear whether other Saudi airports will keep operating. Earlier this week the Houthis warned airlines "for the last time" about flying into Saudi airspace. Air India, FlyDubai, Lufthansa Group and Pakistan International Airlines had already temporarily suspended flights to Riyadh and other Saudi cities.

Wider context

A Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen's government forces launched an outright offensive this week against the Houthis, who have rapidly gained territory in recent weeks. They have taken islands in the Bab al-Mandab strait and strengthened their positions along the Red Sea, including control of the main route Saudi Arabia, the top oil exporter, had been using to divert its exports while the Strait of Hormuz remains shut.

US President Donald Trump said Washington may join the Saudis in air strikes against the Houthis. "We may. We're going to look at it," he said, adding that a decision would be made quickly.