Riyadh airport partly resumes as Houthis renew strikes

King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh resumed flight operations on Sunday following a closure of two weeks caused by earlier attacks. Saudi authorities designated specific terminals for domestic and international flights. Airlines including Air India and Air India Express had suspended services to Saudi Arabia as a precaution during the closure.

Yemen's Houthis claimed they launched a fresh strike on the airport hours after the kingdom announced the resumption of flights. The group reiterated threats against the facility, labeling it a military target and warning that the airport "will never be safe." According to reports, authorities sent text messages to residents warning of a hostile aerial threat targeting the city.

Saudi Arabia said its air defences intercepted another wave of missiles and drones on Sunday as the fighting continued. The Saudi-led military coalition reported striking several Houthi missile launchers and storage facilities in response, according to a spokesman. The coalition said it destroyed ballistic missile launchers as well as tunnels and a depot used to store missiles.

One Saudi nursing student, Danah Altalhi, was injured in an explosion at Terminal 3 of the airport. She was having coffee at a café near gates 306–309 when the blast occurred, describing a bright flash that blinded her followed by thick smoke. She later learned that shrapnel from the explosion had struck her right shoulder and thigh.

The attacks came as senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan were preparing for high-stakes talks with Iran in Tehran scheduled for Monday. The talks followed warnings of a potential return to war between the parties involved in the wider conflict in Yemen.

The Houthis, described as Iran-aligned by some reports, have intensified attacks on Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, with the capital Riyadh being heavily targeted during this period.