📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / http://www.amc.af.mil/
Defence
Saudi Air Defences Intercept 10 Houthi Missiles, Delay Riyadh Airport Reopening
✍️ Pragativadi
🗓 26 Oct 2026, 02:22 AM
👁 14
Saudi Arabia’s air defence system shot down ten missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, prompting officials to postpone the planned reopening of Riyadh’s main airport.
Saudi air defence units successfully intercepted ten missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi movement, neutralising the threat before any impact on civilian infrastructure. The interception was reported by Saudi military sources as part of a heightened alert response to recent cross‑border attacks.
The missile barrage came as Saudi authorities were preparing to reopen Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, which had remained closed following earlier Houthi strikes on the capital’s air traffic facilities. Officials had scheduled the reopening to restore full commercial operations and ease travel disruptions.
In light of the latest attack, the Saudi aviation ministry announced a postponement of the airport’s reopening, citing the need to ensure the safety of passengers and staff. Additional security measures, including increased radar monitoring and ground‑based air‑defence deployments, have been ordered.
The incident underscores the ongoing regional tension between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi‑controlled areas of Yemen, with both sides warning of further escalations that could affect civilian air travel across the Gulf region.
The missile barrage came as Saudi authorities were preparing to reopen Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, which had remained closed following earlier Houthi strikes on the capital’s air traffic facilities. Officials had scheduled the reopening to restore full commercial operations and ease travel disruptions.
In light of the latest attack, the Saudi aviation ministry announced a postponement of the airport’s reopening, citing the need to ensure the safety of passengers and staff. Additional security measures, including increased radar monitoring and ground‑based air‑defence deployments, have been ordered.
The incident underscores the ongoing regional tension between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi‑controlled areas of Yemen, with both sides warning of further escalations that could affect civilian air travel across the Gulf region.