Saudi Arabia said on Monday it had intercepted and destroyed three Houthi ballistic missiles, as the main international airport in the Saudi capital remained closed following a series of attacks over the past week that have killed at least 20 people and injured hundreds.
The Saudi military said one missile was intercepted over Riyadh and two others were destroyed over Khamis Mushait in the country’s southwest. The Houthi-controlled military claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it targeted Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport and a military base. The group also issued another warning to international airlines against operating flights to Saudi airports.
The attack came shortly after Saudi authorities announced the closure of King Khalid International Airport until further notice. A notice to air missions (NOTAM) indicates it will be closed until at least October 17.
The missile attack, the deadliest attack on Saudi Arabia in more than a decade, comes two days after a Houthi attack on an airport killed at least 13 people and injured more than 300.
Footage from Saturday’s strike shows dozens of passengers waiting to board a plane when a sudden explosion causes part of the ceiling to collapse.
Footage obtained by Al Arabiya TV News Channel showed some people folding their hands over their heads for safety as dust filled the area and debris crashed onto the floor.
Hours before Monday’s ballistic missile attack, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority announced that the airport would be closed and hundreds of flights canceled “to complete the necessary procedures to ensure the safety and operational readiness of the airport facilities.”
The decision comes after another missile attack on the airport on Sunday killed one Pakistani resident and injured 11 others. Saturday’s airport attack killed four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, an American, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian, a Palestinian and a Sudanese national, and injured 309 others, according to Saudi authorities. The Indian embassy in Riyadh announced on Sunday that one Indian national injured in the strike later died.
The Houthis also claimed to have targeted King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Sunday. Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority confirmed Sunday night that the airport had been attacked and said authorities were assessing the damage.
The Houthis said the airstrikes were in response to an escalation of Saudi air force operations in Yemen. The group said on Monday that Saudi fighter jets and missile forces had carried out 119 attacks in the past 24 hours, claiming that at least 14 civilians, including women and children, were killed. CNN cannot independently verify that claim. The group also threatened to continue targeting airports and other locations within Saudi Arabia.
At least 12 people killed, hundreds injured in Saudi airport attack
Following Saturday’s attack, US President Donald Trump said he was considering joining Saudi Arabia’s offensive against Yemen’s Houthis, although he had previously resisted calls for direct Saudi military intervention.
The attack on King Khalid International Airport by the Houthis began last week. Saudi authorities say six people were killed and dozens more injured in the airport attack between Tuesday and Thursday.
One traveler who was at the airport during Saturday’s attack told Reuters he saw something flying through the sky outside before part of the ceiling near the departure gate collapsed.
Another witness recalled hearing an explosion before seeing several people lying injured on the ground.
Eyewitness video released by Reuters showed large boards and debris strewn across the terminal floor and people moving through dusty halls.
King Khalid International Airport, Saudi Arabia’s second busiest airport, serves the capital, Riyadh, with a population of approximately 8 million people.
The United States, United Kingdom, Spain and Canada have warned their citizens against using their airports.
The British government on Sunday warned against all but essential travel to Jeddah and Dammam, and all Saudi airports except Medina. He suggested that British nationals consider leaving Saudi Arabia by land to neighboring countries.
The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh also tightened its travel guidance on Monday, saying special permission is now required for U.S. government employees to use Saudi Arabia’s airports. The newspaper called on Americans to use “extreme caution” when using Saudi airports, noting that an American national had been detained for filming the aftermath of a recent attack.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Sunday told US airlines to use caution when flying to or over Saudi Arabia, citing safety threats and interference with navigation systems.
Saudi Arabia’s Gulf neighbors condemned the attack, with some calling for unified action against the Houthis.
“Our security is indivisible,” Anwar Gargash, advisor to the UAE president, said on Monday. Targeting Saudi Arabia “undermines the security of the UAE and all Gulf states” and there is “an urgent need to revive joint Gulf action” in security and defence, Gargash told X.
The attack exposed weaknesses in the defense capabilities of Saudi Arabia, which is conducting air operations to support Yemen’s internationally recognized government fighting the Houthis on the ground.
With support from Iran, the Houthis have built a large arsenal of missiles capable of reaching all parts of Saudi Arabia, including ballistic weapons and various drones.
The Houthis on Sunday reiterated a warning to all airlines and travelers to avoid using Saudi airports and airspace “with the exception of Mecca and Medina airports…as they are more likely to be targeted.”
President Trump said Saturday he planned to meet with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the wake of the attack.
Asked if Saudi Arabia could protect itself from the Houthis, Trump said: “They can. They are good fighters. But this attack was terrible.”
Asked outside the White House whether the United States intended to join Saudi Arabia’s attack on the Houthis, Trump said: “There is a possibility that we will. We will consider it.”
On Monday, President Trump said he had since spoken to the crown prince. He did not elaborate on the content of the conversation, but said the Houthis were “acting very badly.”
President Trump last month rejected two appeals from Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a U.S. strike against the Houthis.
In a post on X, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that Americans were among those killed and said the attack showed “a blatant disregard for the lives of innocent civilians.”
Yemen’s civil war flared up again this summer and escalated last month after years of relative calm.
In retaliation for the Saudi blockade of Yemen’s capital Sanaa, the Houthis announced in July that they would target Saudi ships in the Red Sea and launched a missile campaign against Saudi infrastructure, including oil refineries.
Last month, they carried out a blitzkrieg attack along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, capturing the port of Moka and closing in on Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city.
In response, Yemen’s Saudi-backed government based in Aden launched a major offensive, but has struggled to retake many positions. On Monday, the country’s military claimed to have carried out 1,879 airstrikes against Houthi targets in the past 24 hours, killing about 950 fighters. Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi-run Health Ministry said on Monday that Saudi attacks across 13 provinces since September 3 have killed 107 people and injured 278, most of them women and children. CNN cannot independently verify numbers on either side.
For 11 years, Saudi Arabia has tried to contain the conflict on its southern border through both force and diplomacy. First, it waged war against the Houthis and then engaged in dialogue with Iran, the group’s backer.
Despite these efforts, a series of miscalculations left Riyadh exposed to further conflict in Yemen, experts said.
Saudi Arabia ended its long-standing partnership with the UAE late last year over support for rival forces in Yemen, misjudged President Trump’s commitment to provide support if needed, and is struggling to organize armed groups to fight the Houthis.
This escalation threatens Saudi Arabia’s broader ambitions to become an international destination for business and tourism.
On Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy announced that the World Petroleum Conference opened as scheduled in Riyadh. Several major oil companies, including Shell and BP, did not attend.
CNN’s Ibrahim Dahman, Michael Williams and Mostafa Salem contributed reporting.
