Saudi-led coalition destroys 4 Houthi rocket launchers as militia claims fresh attack on Riyadh airport

The Saudi-led coalition destroyed four ballistic rocket launchers and five storage tunnels used by Houthi forces in a military operation announced Monday by coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki, who noted the operation also targeted an ammunition depot, fortifications, and Houthi militant concentrations along front lines inside Yemen, including severing militia supply routes between areas under their control.

Simultaneously, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced that Ansar Allah forces struck King Khalid International Airport with what he described as a "precise" ballistic missile, while al-Maliki affirmed that Saudi air defense systems intercepted a ballistic missile launched by the "Houthi terrorist militia" toward Riyadh. In a separate statement, Saree claimed Houthis struck Saudi oil pumping stations with unmanned aircraft.

An earlier Houthi attack on King Khalid Airport this month killed 13 people and wounded over 300 in the kingdom's fiercest strike in more than a decade. The attack forced a temporary airport closure and prompted postponement of the kingdom's major investment conference to 2027. Flights resumed Sunday, but the Houthis warned travelers to avoid the airport, calling it a "military target."

Saree also claimed ballistic missile strikes against positions in the Salah al-Din area of Aden governorate and the Al-Wahah area of Lahj governorate.

The Yemen conflict has escalated since the collapse of a 2022 ceasefire last month, with Houthis launching attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure and airports, while internationally recognized Yemeni government forces launched "Operation Fajr Yemen" to reclaim areas controlled by Ansar Allah.