Yemen’s Houthi movement on Sunday, October 11, warned airlines, travellers and airport workers to avoid Saudi Arabia’s airports and airspace, a day after an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 12 people and injured more than 300. The warning marked a further escalation in tensions between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia amid intensifying fighting in Yemen. The group said Saudi airports remained vulnerable to further attacks, while specifically excluding airports in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina from its warning.

In a statement shared on social media, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree urged airlines, aviation personnel and travellers to take the warning seriously. The group said Saudi airports and airspace had become operational targets and warned that further escalation could follow if Saudi Arabia continued its military campaign in Yemen. The Houthis also said Riyadh would bear responsibility for any failure to intercept incoming attacks, signalling that the threat to civilian aviation infrastructure remained a concern.

The deadly attack on Saturday struck King Khalid International Airport, leaving 12 people dead and more than 300 injured, according to Saudi authorities. The victims included four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshi nationals and citizens of the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt. The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government blamed the Houthis for the attack and described it as a serious violation of international law. The Houthis had not immediately claimed responsibility for the latest strike when the warning was issued.

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Saudi aviation authorities suspended operations at Riyadh’s main international airport while officials assessed the damage and reviewed safety conditions. The attack was the third reported assault on the airport within a week, following earlier strikes that killed four people and damaged a Saudi commercial aircraft. Separately, the Saudi-led coalition reported that a projectile had fallen near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, while a drone was intercepted in the region on Sunday. The developments have raised concerns about the safety of civilian aviation and the potential disruption of regional air travel.

The renewed threats come as Saudi Arabia increases its military involvement in Yemen, supporting government forces in operations against the Houthis after the group seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast. The Houthi-run foreign ministry warned that further Saudi military action would prompt a stronger response, saying the group would act on the principle of reciprocity. The escalation has added pressure to efforts to contain the conflict, which has increasingly threatened transport links and critical infrastructure across the region.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said Washington was considering whether to join Saudi military strikes against the Houthis, raising the possibility of wider American involvement. Saudi Arabia also shifted schools in Riyadh to remote learning from Sunday through Thursday as a precaution, while an international energy conference scheduled in the capital was expected to proceed. With the airport closure and Houthi warnings continuing, the situation has heightened uncertainty for travellers, airlines and businesses operating in the kingdom as regional tensions deepen.

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