Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree warned that Saudi airports and airspace are now targets, while the FAA told U.S. airlines to use caution on Saudi flights.
The attacks. A projectile hit Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on Sunday, Oct. 11, killing a Pakistani resident and injuring 11, Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority (GACA) said. NBC, citing Saudi aviation authorities, put Saturday's death toll at at least 13 after an injured Indian national died; CBS and The Washington Post reported 12. An American was among Saturday's dead, and the airport stays closed.
The threat. Saree said the airports and airspace "constitute a theatre of operations for our forces."
Still open. Trump said the U.S. is considering joining Saudi military operations against the Houthis. No mission, forces or timeline has been announced.
Catch up
- Sept. 13 — Houthi forces took the coast along the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a key Red Sea shipping lane; ships kept moving.
- Sept. 14–16 — Drone attacks shut Saudi Arabia's Hormuz-bypass pipeline, Houthis seized two Red Sea islands, and Aramco halted loadings at Yanbu, its last open terminal.
- Sept. 17 — U.S. crude prices hit a 30-day high.
- Sept. 20–21 — Houthi missiles burned a fuel depot near Riyadh's airport; Saudi Arabia intercepted another aimed at the capital.
- Sept. 22 — Trump declined a prepared U.S. air campaign, giving Saudi Arabia intelligence and targeting data instead.
- Sept. 23 — Saudi Arabia tested a pipeline restart; oil fell below $98, down from $107.02 a barrel on Sept. 17.
- Oct. 10 — A strike on King Khalid airport killed 12, including an American, and injured 309, GACA said; Trump said the U.S. "may" join Saudi strikes.
12 earlier issues
- Houthi missiles and drones hit 4 Saudi cities, wounding 73 and halting Aramco's 400,000-barrel-a-day Jazan refinery
- Houthis capture Yemen's Mokha from Saudi-backed forces 46 miles from Bab el-Mandeb
- UpdateHouthi forces captured Mokha and Perim island in the 28-kilometer Bab el-Mandeb strait.
- UpdateA day after the Bab el-Mandeb capture, maritime monitors have recorded no new transit halts
- UpdateSaudi Arabia shuts Hormuz-bypass pipeline, oil rises more than $3 with 4% of supply at risk
- UpdateHouthis seize two more Red Sea islands as Saudi pipeline faces 3-to-5-week outage
- UpdateSaudi Arabia suspends loadings at its last open oil terminal; September cargoes cancelled
- Attacks on Saudi export pipeline push WTI crude to $107.02 a barrel, a 30-day high
- UpdateHouthi missiles hit Riyadh, burning a fuel depot near King Khalid airport
- UpdateSaudi Arabia says it intercepted a Houthi missile aimed at Riyadh
- UpdateTrump declined a prepared U.S. air campaign against the Houthis, giving Saudi Arabia intelligence and targeting data instead
- UpdateSaudi Arabia tested its shut east-west pipeline for a restart as oil fell below $98
BackgroundWhat U.S. agencies have already ordered for travelers
- The FAA caution notice runs through Dec. 10 and covers flying over, landing and taking off.
- The U.S. Mission in Saudi Arabia urges Americans to avoid Riyadh's airport.
- U.S. government employees need special approval to use airports in Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam.