Riyadh Airport Reopens as Houthis Deny Targeting Mecca and Medina

WarBrief Live | October 25, 2026 | Breaking Analysis

Riyadh airport reopening is the story of an airport trying to fly again while the war around it has not stopped. King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh widened its resumed service on Sunday, October 25, 2026, with Terminal 1 designated for domestic flights and Terminal 2 for international flights operated by national carriers, even as Saudi air defences intercepted fresh Houthi missiles and drones over the capital in the early hours of the same day. The Houthis, meanwhile, deny the most explosive Saudi claim of the weekend: that they targeted Mecca and Medina, Islam’s two holiest cities.

Why did Riyadh airport reopen on October 25?

King Khalid International Airport announced on Saturday, October 24, that flights would resume on Sunday, October 25, 2026, under a split-terminal plan. AFP reported the airport’s passenger update: “Please be advised that Terminal (1) will be designated for domestic flights and Terminal (2) for international flights operated by national carriers at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, effective Sunday, October 25, 2026.” The airport urged passengers with confirmed bookings to check their flight status with their airlines before heading to the airport.

Evidence that planes were moving came early on Sunday. The Flight Radar monitoring site showed a plane taking off from Riyadh airport early in the day, heading to the Saudi city of Jeddah, according to AFP reporting carried by Dawn and Malay Mail. That single departure matters because it is independently observable movement, not just an announcement: the airport was not only declaring itself open, it was operating.

One clarification matters for readers who have followed this story for weeks. Some wire copy described Sunday as a return after a two-week closure. The fuller picture is messier: limited domestic operations had already resumed earlier in October, according to Associated Press reporting summarised by Gulf News on October 21, while many international carriers kept their own suspensions in place. What changed on October 25 was the terminal plan and the extension to international flights by national carriers. A reopened airport and a normally operating airport are not the same thing, and the distinction runs through everything that follows.

Did the Houthis target Mecca and Medina?

This is the most fiercely disputed claim of the weekend, and the honest answer is that the two sides describe the same Saturday interceptions in incompatible ways. What is confirmed is that interceptions happened and debris fell. Saudi Civil Defense said on X that its teams responded to falling debris from the interception of two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi militia toward the regions of Mecca and Medina. Arab News reported debris response locations including Wadi Al-Mughammas in Makkah, the Al-Nuzha neighborhood in Jeddah, Wadi Jalil in Taif, and the Masturah Center in Rabigh.

What is not confirmed is intent. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree denied that the group targeted the holy cities, calling the Saudi claim a “huge lie” in remarks carried by AFP. The Houthis accept that they struck Saudi targets in the same wave; they dispute which targets. Readers should therefore treat “missiles toward the Mecca and Medina regions” as the Saudi Civil Defense account of where interceptions and debris occurred, and “we did not target the holy cities” as the Houthi denial, not as two versions of one settled fact.

The condemnation from Saudi religious authorities was swift and unusually direct. Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, president of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, said the security and sanctity of the Two Holy Mosques remain a “red line that must not be breached,” and described the assaults as revealing the militia’s “criminal approach,” according to a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency. His intervention raises the political stakes of the dispute: for Riyadh, an attack near the holy cities is not only a military event but an affront to its custodianship of them; for the Houthis, denying that charge is essential to avoiding the charge of attacking Islam’s holiest sites.

What the Houthis say they hit, and what is confirmed

The Houthis say that in the space of 24 hours they targeted three Saudi airports, including Riyadh, energy installations, a pipeline and an air base. In Saree’s account, reported by the Times of India and Firstpost, the claimed targets included King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, Aramco facilities in Yanbu, the Rabigh refinery and the East-West oil pipeline, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Najran Airport, and the Khamis Mushait airbase. These are Houthi claims, not independently verified strikes, and Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the reported strikes on all of these facilities.

What the Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted is a separate, better-documented list. On Saturday, coalition air defences destroyed two ballistic missiles aimed at Taif and Yanbu, an incoming missile bound for Riyadh, and a drone in the Eastern Region, according to coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, as reported by Arab News. In the early hours of Sunday, an AFP journalist in Riyadh heard three explosions, and residents received alert messages for a “hostile aerial threat” urging them to stay in a safe place. AFP reported that the coalition said it had downed a ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh, as well as two drones in the capital area. Arab News added timing from Al-Maliki: drones targeting the Riyadh region shortly past 1 a.m. and around 5 a.m., both intercepted, an aerial-threat alarm shortly after 6 a.m. followed by two loud blasts, and later on Sunday a cruise missile toward Khamis Mushait and 10 ballistic missiles targeting the southern region, all intercepted according to the coalition.

The Houthis also fired at Aden, the southern Yemeni city that serves as the interim seat of the Saudi-backed government, saying they targeted a naval base and military camp overseen by Saudi forces. Yemen’s government, for its part, accused the Houthis of firing three ballistic missiles at coast guard installations in Aden. As with the Saudi targets, the competing claims about Aden have no immediate independent confirmation, and this article reports them as claims, not as established strikes.

Riyadh airport reopening by the numbers

Caveat: figures marked as coalition, Houthi or Civil Defense accounts are claims by those parties, reported here as claims. The October 10 casualty figures are confirmed by two independent news reports of the same AFP-sourced toll. Houthi claims of hitting specific facilities are REPORTED, not confirmed.

How Riyadh airport got here: from the October 10 strike to today

The October 10 strike is the reference point for everything since. WarBrief’s earlier explainer on the Riyadh airport closure tracked how the air campaign shut the airport, and earlier Houthi airport attacks across Saudi Arabia set the pattern for the October wave. Arab News described it as a Houthi strike that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, and AFP called it the deadliest attack in the kingdom in more than a decade. That toll explains why the airport’s closure and reopening carry weight far beyond flight schedules: the airport itself became a casualty site, and every decision to resume flying is also a decision about risk to civilians in a terminal building.

• October 10, 2026: Houthi strike on King Khalid International Airport kills 13 people and wounds more than 300, according to AFP and Arab News.
• Mid-October 2026: Limited domestic operations resume at the airport, with Saudia and flynas operating flights under prior-permission arrangements, according to AP reporting summarised by Gulf News on October 21.
• October 24, 2026: Heavy cross-border wave: Saudi defences intercept missiles toward Taif, Yanbu and Riyadh and a drone in the Eastern Region; Civil Defense responds to debris in the Mecca and Medina regions; the airport announces the October 25 terminal plan.
• October 25, 2026: Airport widens service under the Terminal 1 domestic and Terminal 2 international national-carrier plan; coalition reports fresh interceptions over Riyadh and the southern region; Houthis renew their warning against using the airport.

The wider context is a truce that fell apart. AFP reported that the fighting erupted after a years-long truce between the Houthis and Yemen’s Riyadh-backed government broke down in the summer of 2026, and that the Houthis took control of the entire Red Sea coast in a lightning offensive last month. The airport campaign is therefore not an isolated aviation dispute: it is one front of a renewed Yemen war that has, in AFP’s assessment, shifted the focus of the wider US-Iran war. That same weekend, US President Donald Trump said the United States could strike Iran as early as Sunday or reach a deal, a decision point covered in WarBrief’s earlier October 25 analysis of Trump’s strike-or-deal decision. The escalation also prompted a US order for diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia amid the Houthi strikes. The Riyadh story and the Iran story are connected by the same escalation, but they are not the same story, and this article keeps them separate.

What the Riyadh reopening means for US, UK and EU travellers

For readers in the United States, Britain and Europe, the practical meaning of the reopening is narrow and should not be overstated. A terminal plan for national carriers is not a restoration of the international network. Air India and Air India Express, major carriers for the large Indian community in Saudi Arabia, keep Riyadh and Dammam suspended until November 7, 2026, and Jeddah until October 31, 2026, according to the Indian mission’s social media post on Saturday, reported by PTI. IndiGo and Akasa Air have also cancelled services to Saudi cities, according to reports. European carriers had already extended their own suspensions into November in earlier October notices, and those airline-by-airline decisions, not the airport’s announcement, decide whether any individual booking operates.

Two advisories deserve attention. First, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh advised Indian nationals in Saudi Arabia to abide by local rules and to refrain from filming or publishing information related to missile and drone interceptions, reposting a Saudi Civil Defense notice warning that doing so exposes people to legal liability. Visitors and residents who film interceptions for social media could therefore face legal consequences, not merely disapproval. Second, the Houthi warning itself is a travel factor: Saree warned all international, regional and local airlines, staff and travellers against using King Khalid Airport, calling it unsafe and a military target, and adding that it “will never be safe.” Airlines and insurers read such warnings even when they dispute the claims behind them, and that is one reason suspensions outlast announcements.

The honest advice for any traveller is procedural, not reassuring: check the specific flight with the specific airline, expect last-minute changes, and do not treat the airport’s reopening notice as a guarantee that a booked service will operate. For pilgrims and business travellers with fixed dates, the gap between “the airport is open” and “my flight is operating” is the whole story.

How Riyadh, the Houthis and travellers see the reopening

Riyadh frames the reopening as resilience: defences held, debris was handled, the airport is operating, and the Kingdom’s stability is intact. Al-Sudais’s statement fits that frame, presenting the aggression as something that would “only reinforce the resolve” of Saudi leadership and armed forces to safeguard holy sites and pilgrims. The coalition’s steady stream of interception announcements serves the same purpose, demonstrating a working shield even on the morning of the reopening.

The Houthis frame the same day as a warning: the airport is a military target, operations against it will continue, and anyone using it accepts the risk. That framing serves their campaign logic, in which a civilian airport used, in their claim, to support Yemeni government forces is a legitimate target. It also serves a signalling purpose toward Riyadh’s partners: continued operations despite interceptions suggest the campaign will not be stopped by air defences alone.

Travellers, airlines and residents sit between those two frames with a simpler question: will my flight go, and will I be safe in the terminal? The evidence on October 25 answers the first question only partially, with one observed departure to Jeddah and a terminal plan for national carriers, and the second question not at all. Interceptions over the capital on the morning of reopening show both that defences work and that attacks continue. Both facts are true at once, and any account that reports only one of them misleads.

What to watch next in Saudi airspace

Three things will show whether October 25 was a turning point or a pause. First, whether national-carrier international flights actually operate from Terminal 2 in the coming days, and whether any foreign carrier follows. Second, whether the Houthi campaign continues at the same tempo: a further wave toward Riyadh, Dammam or the energy sites in Yanbu and Rabigh would test the reopening within days. Third, whether the Mecca and Medina dispute escalates diplomatically, with further religious or regional condemnation, or whether it settles as a contested claim in a long war of claims. The wider US-Iran decision, strike or deal, hangs over all three: a fresh US operation against Iran would almost certainly intensify Houthi attacks on Saudi targets, while a deal could dampen them. Neither outcome is assured, and this article will not predict which one arrives. WarBrief’s conflict zones hub tracks the wider campaign as it develops.

Frequently asked questions

Is Riyadh airport open now?
King Khalid International Airport widened service on October 25, 2026, with Terminal 1 for domestic flights and Terminal 2 for international flights operated by national carriers. Limited operations had already resumed earlier in October. Many foreign carriers still have their own suspensions in place, so passengers should check their specific flight with their airline.

Did the Houthis attack Mecca and Medina?
Saudi Civil Defense said two ballistic missiles toward the Mecca and Medina regions were intercepted on October 24 and debris fell in several western localities. The Houthis deny targeting the holy cities and call the Saudi claim a “huge lie.” The interceptions and debris are confirmed; the intended targets are disputed.

Why are the Houthis targeting Riyadh airport?
The Houthis describe King Khalid Airport as a military target and claim it supports Yemeni government forces, a claim Saudi authorities reject. The airport campaign sits inside the renewed Yemen war after the truce between the Houthis and the Riyadh-backed government broke down in the summer of 2026.

Which flights to Saudi Arabia are still suspended?
Air India and Air India Express suspensions for Riyadh and Dammam run to November 7, 2026, and for Jeddah to October 31, 2026, according to the Indian mission. Other carriers have their own end dates, so travellers should check with their airline rather than assuming one date applies to all.

Is it safe to travel to Riyadh now?
Saudi defences intercepted missiles and drones over Riyadh on the morning of the reopening, which shows both that interceptions work and that attacks continue. Travellers should follow airline and official advisories, avoid filming interceptions, and expect disruption.

Sources

• Malay Mail / AFP: Explosions rock Riyadh as Saudi airport reopens despite Houthi threats
• Dawn / AFP: Riyadh airport resumes flights following Houthi attacks
• Arab News PK: Grand Mosque head slams Houthi strikes on Makkah, Madinah as coalition defenses thwart attacks
• Times of India: ‘Will never be safe’: Houthis warn as Riyadh airport resumes flights
• Telegraph India / PTI: India tells citizens in Saudi Arabia not to film missile interceptions
• Mathrubhumi: Why are the Houthis targeting Saudi Arabia? Mecca-Medina missile claims and Riyadh airport threat explained