The Saudi-led coalition reported 12 missile interceptions across separate statements Sunday, as Riyadh’s main airport changed how it handles domestic and international flights amid renewed fighting in Yemen.
Three Saudi Press Agency (SPA) bulletins relaying coalition statements accounted for the missile total. They said 10 ballistic missiles launched by Houthi forces toward Saudi Arabia’s southern region were intercepted, along with one ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh and one cruise missile aimed at Khamis Mushait. The bulletins did not specify where the missiles were intercepted.
The Riyadh-bound missile was intercepted at 11:32 p.m. EDT Saturday (03:32 UTC Sunday), the coalition said. A separate SPA bulletin reported one unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) intercepted in Riyadh Region but did not identify its origin or intended target. None of the four SPA bulletins gave casualty or damage figures.
King Khalid International Airport said Terminal 1 would serve domestic flights, while Terminal 2 would handle international flights operated by national carriers. The arrangement took effect Sunday, Oct. 25. Saba news agency reported that Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree renewed a call for airlines, airport employees and passengers to avoid the airport, saying military activity there would continue.
The coalition’s latest statements followed its Oct. 23 report of a missile aimed at Riyadh, which said the ballistic missile had been intercepted.
A United Nations-brokered truce began April 2, 2022, and formally ended Oct. 2 that year. The U.N. secretary-general said it had brought Yemen its longest stretch of relative calm since the war began.
United Nations (U.N.) Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg told the Security Council on Oct. 9 that Yemen had “slid back into full-scale war.” He described a government counteroffensive after Ansar Allah advances near Mokha and the Bab al-Mandab coast, and said civilians were suffering from the escalation. Grundberg also linked Houthi threats to Saudi-linked commercial shipping with risks to maritime trade routes and international energy markets.
