The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said on Thursday that the Houthis had attempted to attack dozens of Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities, as a week of missile and drone strikes on key Saudi sites intensified.
Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki told a press conference that the Iran-aligned group had launched 20 attacks on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport this month alone, which according to the coalition killed 17 people and wounded 333. Houthi attacks on Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia killed three people and wounded 28, the coalition said.
Escalation and retaliation
Maliki said the Houthis had acquired advanced military technology, including ballistic missiles, drones and explosive-laden fast boats, with the help of "regional actors". He also said the coalition had destroyed 127 weapons storage facilities and launch platforms in Yemen's mountainous areas. He called on the Houthis to immediately halt operations targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, adding that the group should read the coalition's statement carefully and "between the lines".
Shortly after the coalition's statement, the Houthi military spokesperson renewed a warning that Saudi airspace and airports were unsafe for airlines, while excluding the airspace over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Background
Reuters reported that the Houthis have been firing ballistic missiles and drones at key Saudi sites for a week in response to the kingdom's backing of government forces in Yemen's renewed civil war. Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led intervention the following year. A UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely halted major fighting, but efforts to turn it into a lasting settlement have stalled as regional tensions intensified.
Sources: Saudi-led coalition says Houthis attempted to attack dozens of Saudi facilities (Reuters, Oct 15, 2026)
Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki told a press conference that the Iran-aligned group had launched 20 attacks on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport this month alone, which according to the coalition killed 17 people and wounded 333. Houthi attacks on Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia killed three people and wounded 28, the coalition said.
Escalation and retaliation
Maliki said the Houthis had acquired advanced military technology, including ballistic missiles, drones and explosive-laden fast boats, with the help of "regional actors". He also said the coalition had destroyed 127 weapons storage facilities and launch platforms in Yemen's mountainous areas. He called on the Houthis to immediately halt operations targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, adding that the group should read the coalition's statement carefully and "between the lines".
Shortly after the coalition's statement, the Houthi military spokesperson renewed a warning that Saudi airspace and airports were unsafe for airlines, while excluding the airspace over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Background
Reuters reported that the Houthis have been firing ballistic missiles and drones at key Saudi sites for a week in response to the kingdom's backing of government forces in Yemen's renewed civil war. Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led intervention the following year. A UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely halted major fighting, but efforts to turn it into a lasting settlement have stalled as regional tensions intensified.
Sources: Saudi-led coalition says Houthis attempted to attack dozens of Saudi facilities (Reuters, Oct 15, 2026)
