RIYADH/TEHRAN: Flights resumed at Riyadh's international airport on Sunday following a series of deadly attacks on the facility that saw it closed for two weeks, even as Yemen's Houthis targeted the country with strikes. King Khalid International Airport's website showed several domestic and international flights scheduled on Sunday, including arrivals to the kingdom from Dubai, Paris and Cairo.
The renewed operations at the airport came as explosions rattled Riyadh early Sunday, after a text message was sent to residents warning of a hostile threat targeting the city. The airport closure was a major blow for Saudi Arabia, with the kingdom's flagship investment conference postponed until 2027 as residents scrambled to find alternatives to enter and exit the country.
The prestigious motor sport race, the Dakar Rally, also added its name to a long list of events to be cancelled, postponed or relocated amid the fallout from the war. Saudi officials did not provide additional information when asked, but the tracking website Flightradar24 showed a small number of flights had departed, though the vast majority were cancelled.
Saudi Arabia said its main airport resumed operations at two terminals, while announcing it intercepted another wave of missiles and drones on Sunday. The Houthis said they had launched attacks on the air hub among other sites in the kingdom, including in Khamis Mushait and Jazan.
The Houthis have carried out waves of strikes on the airport, including an attack this month that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. Houthis said they launched attacks targeting Riyadh's international airport hours after its reopening, as well as an airbase and naval base elsewhere in Saudi Arabia.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree earlier warned that Riyadh airport was still "unsafe" and a "military target". Later on Sunday, Saree said Saudi Arabia had struck Yemen dozens of times over the previous 24 hours.
"During the past 24 hours, Saudi warplanes launched 56 airstrikes and missiles targeting civilian objects in the governorates of Hajjah, Lahj, Amran, Saada, Al-Jawf, Taiz and Ibb using F-15 and Typhoon planes that took off from the bases of Khamis Mushait and Taif, and missiles from Najran," he said on X.
As operations at the airport restarted, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived in Riyadh and met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. During the meeting, Mitsotakis "responded favourably to the kingdom's request to keep the Patriot system in Saudi Arabia, given the current challenging circumstances", his office said.
Earlier, the Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Houthis said it intercepted at least 10 ballistic missiles. "The bombardment has been very heavy since this morning - may God keep us safe.
Everything is shaking because of the explosions," one resident in Khamis Mushait told media. The kingdom's civil defence agency later said two people were injured in the south by falling debris, also reporting damage to several buildings and vehicles.
Images released by the official Saudi Press Agency showed a building with part of its upper facade destroyed, exposing metal rods, while another image captured large windows shattered across the pavement.