Saudi Arabia’s war with Yemen’s Houthi rebels is no longer being fought only on Yemeni soil. On Saturday afternoon, Riyadh’s main airport, King Khalid International, came under fire once more and evacuated, just hours after the Saudi-led coalition boasted of one of its heaviest air campaigns in years.
According to coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki, warplanes destroyed 136 targets across rebel-controlled areas, among them three rocket launch platforms. In posts on X he said the aim was to dismantle the group’s ballistic missile capability, and he promised Yemeni government troops air cover “around the clock”. Those troops, fighting under the banner of an operation called Dawn of Yemen, hope eventually to retake Sanaa, which the Houthis seized in 2014. Military sources claim they have already secured the Bab el-Mandeb area and Mayun Island; neither claim could be independently verified.
The pressure on Riyadh has been building all week. Three Saudi citizens, a pilot among them, died in two strikes on the airport on Thursday, and regional officials say three aircraft were damaged. By Saturday the toll had grown: more wounded, and a halt to all flights while aviation officials inspected the site. Kuwait Airways, Etihad and SriLankan Airlines cancelled flights, while Washington and Ottawa told their citizens to keep away.
At the UN Security Council, envoy Hans Grundberg painted a grim picture: at least 46 civilians killed since August, and a country sliding back into open war. He urged members to back mediation now, arguing that gains on the battlefield are no substitute for a negotiated settlement. Saudi Arabia’s ambassador countered that the kingdom would not let Yemen serve as a launchpad for attacks on its territory.
The stakes reach far beyond the region. The narrow Bab el-Mandeb strait links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, and with traffic through Hormuz badly disrupted, it has become an even more vital lane for global shipping.
