Coalition strikes Sanaa in retaliation, reportedly wounding six
Houthi attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed three Saudi citizens on Thursday and wounded several others, Saudi authorities said Friday. The Iran-backed Houthis, who have been waging a civil war in Yemen, claimed responsibility for the strikes and said they also hit an airport in Najran and an air base near Khamis Mushait, according to The New York Times.
Saudia Airlines said in a statement that one of its pilots, Capt. Hamoud Ali Alkalthami, was killed when the attacks struck airport facilities and an airplane. The airline said no passengers were aboard the plane. All three of those killed at the Riyadh airport were Saudi citizens, the Times reported, and several citizens and foreign residents were injured.
A spokesperson for the Coalition Joint Forces Command, a military alliance led by Saudi forces, posted on X that the coalition had intercepted missiles fired toward Khamis Mushait and Riyadh. The Coalition separately posted: “Houthi attacks on civilians and civilian facilities will be met with resolve.” After the Riyadh attacks, Saudi forces launched strikes on Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, which is under Houthi control; those strikes reportedly injured six people.
The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh posted about the attacks on X and issued a security alert for U.S. citizens. “The Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including against civilian airports, and the military conflict has the potential to escalate,” the alert said, warning of “potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions.” The embassy recommended that U.S. citizens check flight status directly with airlines and the airport, and advised against travel near the Yemen border.
Several airlines have paused flights to Riyadh. The city is scheduled to host the WPC Energy Congress beginning Sunday — an event that typically draws billionaires, world leaders, and global executives.
The fighting between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia has also made it more dangerous for Saudi oil tankers to travel through the Red Sea, which had become an alternative route after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.