Saudi-led coalition says it struck Houthi missile facilities

Key points

• Saudi-led coalition says it destroyed four Houthi missile launchers and five missile storage tunnels on Monday.
• Houthis claim they hit Riyadh's King Khalid airport and Saudi oil pumping stations with missiles and drones.
• This month's airport attack killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, the deadliest on the kingdom in over a decade.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said on Monday it carried out a military operation aimed at removing threats, while the Houthis claimed attacks on infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said the coalition destroyed four ballistic missile launchers and five tunnels the Houthis used to store missiles.

In a post on X, al-Maliki said the coalition also hit a missile depot and that the operation focused on cutting Houthi supply lines between areas under their control. He said the strikes targeted Houthi fortifications, gatherings of members and military equipment along front lines inside Yemen.

Airport attack and its fallout

The Houthis have carried out a wave of strikes in recent weeks against Saudi airports and other infrastructure. An attack on Riyadh's King Khalid international airport this month killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, the deadliest attack on the kingdom in more than a decade.

The attack temporarily closed the airport, forced the postponement of Saudi Arabia's flagship investment conference until 2027 and disrupted travel for thousands of passengers. The airport reopened and flights resumed on Sunday, while the Houthis warned travellers to avoid the facility, calling it a "military target".

with a ballistic missile, striking the target with precision

— Yahya Saree

Claims from both sides

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on social media on Monday that the group attacked the airport "with a ballistic missile, striking the target with precision". Al-Maliki said Saudi air defences intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched towards Riyadh. Saree also said the Houthis struck oil pumping stations in Saudi Arabia with drones.

In a separate statement, Saree claimed responsibility for more ballistic missile attacks on enemy forces and weapons depots in Yemen, naming the Salah al-Din area of Aden governorate and the al-Wahat area of Lahij governorate. On Sunday the coalition said air defences intercepted at least 10 ballistic missiles, and the civil defence agency reported two people injured in the south by falling debris, plus damage to buildings and vehicles.