Saudi Arabia suspends Riyadh flights after new deadly Houthi missile strikes

What happened

The Guardian Yemen reports that Saudi Arabia has suspended all flights to and from Riyadh’s main international airport until next Saturday due to another series of Houthi missile attacks which caused further damage and killed one person. The missile strikes on Saudi cities continued on Monday, according to Saudi military spokespeople, following a deadly attack on Saturday that killed 13 and injured over 300.

Outside Brief is treating this as a source-led account. Any disputed responsibility, casualty figure, battlefield claim or single-source assertion should be treated as unconfirmed/hearsay unless confirmed by another reliable source or a named official. Saudi state television aired footage from Riyadh airport showing passengers engulfed in smoke and debris as a Houthi missile struck the terminal area. Aviation disruptions deepen as some airlines such as Gulf Air and Bahrain Air had preemptively canceled flights extending to next Saturday. Alongside the strikes, the 25th WPC Energy Conference continues in Riyadh aiming to signal normalcy, although some senior oil executives attended remotely.

Saudi energy minister Abdulaziz bin Salman emphasized resilience in the kingdom’s energy sector, declaring that 'fear has no place in the Saudi lexicon.' Meanwhile, Aramco CEO Amin Nasser noted the vulnerabilities of energy infrastructure in a conflict zone and the global economic consequences of attacks in this region. The Saudi military is conducting urgent reviews to understand how the Houthis repeatedly penetrate air defenses stretched thin by ongoing hostilities.

Known from the source

• Saudi Arabia has suspended flights to and from Riyadh’s airport until next Saturday due to new Houthi missile attacks.
• One person was killed in the latest missile strike reported by Saudi authorities.
• Previous Houthi missile attacks on Saturday killed 13 people and injured over 300.
• Houthi missiles have damaged fuel tanks, warehouses, and multiple aircraft at Riyadh airport.
• The Kingdom continues hosting the 25th WPC Energy Conference amid the attacks.

What remains unclear

The Houthis have vowed to target Saudi airports nationwide. Recent strikes have damaged aviation infrastructure in Riyadh including fuel tanks and warehouses, destroyed an Airbus A320 passenger plane, and damaged at least five other aircraft. Other cities targeted include Khamis Mushait and Dammam, with interceptor missile defense gaps prompting increased risks to key infrastructure, government buildings, and oil facilities.

What remains unclear: Confirm whether the central claim is corroborated; until then treat it as unconfirmed/hearsay. Verify the exact casualty figures from the latest missile attack and confirm if the one death is the final toll. Confirm the extent of the damage to Riyadh airport and other targeted facilities. Clarify the attribution of missile launches to the Houthis and any independent verification of the strikes.

Evidence note

Outside Brief has kept this brief source-led and attributed. Claims should be read alongside the original source linked below.

Original source: The Guardian Yemen. Open the source.