Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have warned civilian airlines that Saudi Arabia's airspace is now an active zone for their missile forces. In their statement, the group exempted only the skies above Mecca and Medina.
The Houthis said they accept no responsibility for any harm to aircraft, crews, passengers or workers if airlines disregard the warning. The group said the warning will remain in force until the "aggression and blockade on Yemen ends."
Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium showed that close to half of all scheduled departures from Riyadh airport had been scrapped by 1500 GMT on Thursday. Cirium projected 31 further cancellations across Saudi airports on Friday.
Early Thursday, the Houthis warned global airlines "for the last time," The Associated Press reported. The group later claimed a ballistic missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, offering no evidence. The Saudis did not immediately comment on the claim. That afternoon, the flight tracker Flightradar24 posted on X that the airport had "closed again."
Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis, said coalition forces intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched toward Riyadh and a third aimed at Khamis Mushait, near the Yemen border. Debris from an interception damaged a kindergarten and a medical complex, Saudi civil defense authorities said.
In their new statement, the Houthis also told people in Saudi Arabia to keep clear of the kingdom's oil installations, which the group described as targets for its forces.
The US Embassy issued a security alert on Wednesday. It told American citizens to be aware of potential airspace closures and instructed US government employees to avoid traveling within 20 miles (32 kilometers) of the Yemen border.
