Riyadh airport resumes operations only to face fresh missile, drone attacks

King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, reopened Sunday (local time) after a two-week closure caused by Houthi rebel attacks — only to face fresh missile and drone strikes on its first day back in operation.

Saudi military forces said they intercepted all incoming projectiles, but about 60 percent of flights scheduled to depart or arrive at the airport that morning were canceled, disrupting operations from the outset.

AFP reported that three explosions were heard in Riyadh in the early hours of Sunday and that safety alerts warning of "hostile aerial threats" were issued to residents. The Saudi military announced it had shot down one ballistic missile and two drones fired toward Riyadh by Houthi rebels.

The airport had announced its reopening Saturday via X, formerly Twitter, saying that starting Sunday, Terminal 1 would be designated for domestic flights and Terminal 2 for international flights operated by the national carrier.

Whether Saudi Arabia's air routes will fully recover remains uncertain. Flight-tracking site Flightradar24 showed that about 60 percent of flights scheduled to land or take off at King Khalid International Airport on Sunday morning had been canceled.

Since last month, the Houthis have carried out a series of attacks targeting not only Saudi oil pipelines but also key facilities in the capital Riyadh, including King Khalid International Airport.

A large-scale Houthi strike on the airport Oct. 10 killed at least 13 people and injured more than 300, prompting the temporary closure of the facility.

In a statement Sunday, the Houthis warned that they would "continue operations targeting King Khalid International Airport" and urged travelers, staff and airlines to avoid the airport.

On Saturday, the Houthis also claimed to have struck King Khalid International Airport and the east-west crude oil pipeline — a critical piece of energy infrastructure — in retaliation for large-scale Saudi airstrikes.