Sanaa/Riyadh: Yemen’s Houthi group has claimed a fresh ballistic missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, as Iran reiterated its readiness to facilitate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis amid escalating regional tensions.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement on Monday evening that the group had targeted Riyadh airport with a ballistic missile, claiming that it had accurately hit its target. The claim was reported by Xinhua news agency.
Sarea also said the group launched a drone attack on King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait, southwestern Saudi Arabia, claiming a direct hit.
However, the Saudi-led coalition said its forces had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile fired towards Riyadh on Monday evening. Explosions were heard in the Saudi capital around the time of the reported attack, while residents received alerts through mobile applications.
Saudi Arabia Reports Deaths and Injuries in Airport Strikes
The Houthis have intensified their attacks on Riyadh airport in recent days, with Saudi authorities reporting casualties and disruptions to airport operations.
Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said on Monday that a Pakistani resident was killed and 11 others were injured in a strike targeting the airport on Sunday afternoon. The authority also announced an extension of the suspension of airport operations.
According to the authority, a Houthi strike on Saturday killed 12 people and injured 309 others.
The latest developments come amid intensifying exchanges of attacks between the Houthis and forces supporting the Yemeni government.
Saudi Strikes and Yemeni Government Operations Intensify
The Houthis said on Monday that Saudi Arabia had carried out 119 strikes on several areas under their control over the preceding 24 hours.
Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported that at least nine people were killed and seven others injured in airstrikes in Al-Jawf province, which borders Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Yemeni military spokesperson Majid al-Nuzaili said government forces had conducted 1,879 attacks on Houthi military targets in recent hours. He claimed that around 950 Houthi fighters had been “neutralized.”
The competing claims and mounting casualties have heightened regional and international concerns over the renewed escalation.
Iran Offers to Facilitate Saudi-Houthi Dialogue
Amid the intensifying conflict, Iran has reiterated its willingness to help facilitate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.
Speaking at a weekly press conference on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran had repeatedly expressed its readiness to use its good offices to facilitate dialogue between the warring parties.
His remarks came a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi spoke by phone with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al Saud on Sunday.
During the conversation, Araghchi expressed Iran’s readiness to provide “any kind of assistance” to help initiate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.
Iran’s offer comes as continued attacks and reported casualties raise concerns about the conflict spreading further across the region.
Background: Yemen’s Long-Running Conflict
Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and large parts of northern Yemen. In 2015, a Saudi-led coalition intervened in support of the internationally recognised Yemeni government.
A United Nations-brokered truce in 2022 largely halted major hostilities, although the conflict remained unresolved.
The renewed fighting represents a significant escalation after a period of relative calm, raising fresh questions about regional security and prospects for a negotiated settlement.
Iran’s latest offer to facilitate dialogue could provide a diplomatic opening, although no agreement or formal talks between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have been confirmed in the developments reported so far.