Saudi Arabia says it shot down a Houthi ballistic missile bound for the southwestern city of Khamis Mushayt in the early hours of Monday, opening a new front in a weekend of attacks that has already made this the deadliest stretch on Saudi soil in more than a decade.
The announcement came from Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognized government. In a post on X, he said air defenses had intercepted and destroyed the missile. Around the same time, the Saudi General Directorate of Civil Defense issued an emergency alert on X warning of a possible attack on Abha, a city near Khamis Mushayt — then followed up to say the danger had passed.
Saudi intercepts Houthi missile: what happened overnight
Here is what the official statements tell us, and what they don't.
Khamis Mushayt sits in the mountainous Asir region of southwestern Saudi Arabia, not far from the Yemeni border, and it is home to a major Saudi military air base. The Houthis have hit targets across the south — Jazan, Najran, Abha — for years, but a ballistic missile aimed at Khamis Mushayt, announced in the small hours of Monday, marks a sharp widening of the current campaign. Until now, the weekend's attacks had centered on the kingdom's airports in the center and east.
The coalition did not say where the missile was intercepted or whether any debris fell in populated areas. No casualties were reported from the interception itself. The Civil Defense alert for Abha — issued and then stood down — suggests authorities treated the threat as live until the all-clear. For residents of the southwest, it was a tense night: alerts on their phones, then silence.
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The Houthis had not immediately commented on the coalition's interception claim. The group did claim a wave of attacks on Saudi targets over the previous 24 hours, and warned it would keep treating the kingdom's transit hubs as, in its words, "a theatre of operations for our forces."
A weekend of strikes on Saudi airports
The Khamis Mushayt interception did not come out of nowhere. It followed 72 hours of escalating attacks on Saudi aviation.
On Sunday, a projectile struck Terminal 4 at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, setting off a fire. Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said a Pakistani national was killed and 11 other people were injured, and that the wounded were taken to hospital. The coalition described the projectile as unidentified. It also said air defenses had intercepted a cruise missile near the airport that day, and shot down a drone in the country's east after the civil aviation authority reported an attack on Dammam's King Fahd International Airport.
That was the fourth reported strike on Riyadh's airport in five days — three people were killed in an attack there on Thursday, according to AFP reporting. And it came a day after Saturday's missile strike on the capital's airport, which Saudi authorities say killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. The civil aviation authority's breakdown listed four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, an American, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian, a Palestinian and a Sudanese national among the dead; India's embassy later said one of its citizens died on Sunday from wounds sustained in that attack. It was the deadliest attack on Saudi soil in more than a decade.
State television footage of the Saturday attack showed pilgrims lined up at a departure gate, heading for Islam's two holiest sites, when a bright flash sent people running as parts of the roof caved in. The Houthis claimed responsibility for Saturday's strike and said they had also hit Dammam's airport and two facilities belonging to the oil giant Aramco — claims Saudi officials have not fully confirmed.
Riyadh's airport remains shut. Authorities extended the closure by 24 hours, until 2100 GMT on Monday, according to the flight-tracking site Flightradar24. The U.S., Canadian, German and Spanish embassies have warned their citizens to avoid the airport; Australia condemned the attacks on Monday.
Why it matters
Start with the geography of fear. For years, Houthi missiles and drones mostly threatened Saudi Arabia's south. This weekend, the attacks reached the capital's main airport repeatedly — and now, with the Khamis Mushayt interception, the coalition is signaling that the threat is national, from Riyadh to the Yemeni border. "Saudi air defences have been able to intercept some Houthi missile and drone attacks," security analyst Thomas Juneau of the University of Ottawa told AFP, "but Saudi Arabia is so large that it's simply impossible for them to consistently defend themselves."
Then there is the diplomacy. Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia — the so-called R4 group — issued a joint statement on Sunday calling the airport attacks a "dangerous escalation that cannot be justified or accepted under any pretext," and pledged full support for what they called Riyadh's legitimate measures to counter them. Turkey and Pakistan signed a joint defense pact with Saudi Arabia in August under which an attack on one is treated as an attack on all; last week the group agreed to move toward rapid deployment of forces and capabilities in the kingdom. Turkey's foreign minister has said Ankara is weighing how to help but has ruled out sending troops or joining offensive operations.
Iran, which backs the Houthis, is suddenly talking dialogue. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told his Saudi counterpart on Sunday that Tehran was ready to help facilitate talks between Saudi Arabia and Yemen — while warning that insisting on a military approach would only complicate things. And in Washington, President Donald Trump said he was considering joining Saudi strikes against the Houthis, a step that would widen the conflict considerably. The anti-Houthi coalition has already called Saturday's airport attack a "full-fledged war crime" and vowed to "respond decisively." Houthi media, for its part, reported Saudi strikes on Yemen's Sanaa governorate on Sunday, with the Houthi-run health ministry claiming one civilian killed and five wounded — claims that could not be independently verified.
For ordinary people, the stakes are immediate: shuttered airports, stranded travelers, and cities from Riyadh to Abha living under the sound of air-raid alerts. For the region, the stakes are bigger — oil infrastructure, Red Sea shipping, and a war in Yemen that keeps finding new ways to spill across borders.
What happens next
The first question is whether Riyadh's airport reopens on schedule Monday night. A further extension would signal that Saudi authorities expect more attacks — and would deepen the disruption for airlines and pilgrims. Watch too for the coalition's promised "decisive" response to Saturday's strike: whether it stays inside Yemen or expands, and whether Trump's talk of joining strikes turns into action.
The second question is the southwest. The Khamis Mushayt interception and the Abha alert suggest the Houthis are probing beyond the airports. If more missiles head south this week, expect Civil Defense alerts to become routine — and expect the R4 group's talk of rapid deployment to get very concrete, very fast.
The third is diplomacy. Iran's offer to broker dialogue is new, and it landed within hours of the weekend's worst violence. Whether Riyadh takes it seriously — or treats it as cover while preparing retaliation — will shape what comes next. For now, the trajectory points one way: up.
Key Takeaways
- Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile aimed at Khamis Mushayt early Monday, the Saudi-led coalition said.
- Civil Defense briefly issued an emergency alert for nearby Abha, then announced the danger had passed; no casualties were reported from the interception.
- The interception followed a weekend of Houthi attacks on Saudi airports: 13 killed and 309 wounded in Saturday's Riyadh airport strike, and a Pakistani national killed with 11 injured in Sunday's Terminal 4 strike.
- Riyadh's airport is closed until at least 2100 GMT Monday; Dammam's airport was also targeted.
- Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia jointly condemned the attacks as a "dangerous escalation"; Iran offered to facilitate dialogue; Trump said he may join Saudi strikes.
- The Houthis claimed Saturday's attack and threatened to keep targeting Saudi transit hubs; the coalition called it a "full-fledged war crime" and vowed a decisive response.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Khamis Mushayt and why was it targeted?
Khamis Mushayt is a city in Saudi Arabia's southwestern Asir region, near the Yemeni border, and it hosts a major Saudi military air base. The Houthis have struck southern targets like Jazan, Najran and Abha for years. A ballistic missile aimed at Khamis Mushayt widens the current campaign beyond the airports hit over the weekend, suggesting the group is probing the kingdom's defenses on multiple fronts at once.
Was anyone hurt when the missile was intercepted?
No casualties were reported from the interception itself. The coalition said the missile was intercepted and destroyed, and the Civil Defense alert for nearby Abha was stood down with the announcement that the danger had passed. The weekend's airport attacks were far bloodier: 13 dead and 309 wounded on Saturday, and one Pakistani national killed with 11 injured on Sunday.
What happened at Riyadh's airport over the weekend?
On Saturday, a Houthi-claimed missile strike hit King Khalid International Airport, killing 13 people and wounding more than 300 — the deadliest attack on Saudi soil in over a decade. On Sunday, a projectile struck Terminal 4, sparking a fire that killed a Pakistani national and injured 11 others. The coalition also said it intercepted a cruise missile near the airport. The airport remains closed until at least Monday night.
Who are the Houthis and why are they attacking Saudi Arabia?
The Houthis are an Iran-backed group that controls much of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognized government since 2015. The Houthis have long fired missiles and drones at Saudi targets; this weekend's campaign — airports in Riyadh and Dammam, plus Aramco facilities they claim to have hit — is the sharpest escalation in years.
Is Riyadh airport open for flights?
No. Authorities extended the closure of King Khalid International Airport by 24 hours, until 2100 GMT on Monday, according to Flightradar24. Several embassies, including the U.S., Canadian, German and Spanish missions, have warned their citizens to avoid the airport. Travelers should check with airlines before heading out, as further extensions are possible if attacks continue.
How have other countries responded?
Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia — the R4 group — jointly condemned the attacks and backed Riyadh's right to respond; Turkey and Pakistan hold a defense pact with the kingdom. Iran's foreign minister offered to help broker Saudi-Houthi dialogue. President Trump said he was considering joining Saudi strikes on the Houthis. Australia condemned the attacks, and the UN also drew condemnation from world leaders.
Sources
- Arab News: Saudi Arabia's air defenses intercept Houthi missile in Khamis Mushayt
- Geo News (AFP/Reuters): Pakistani killed, 11 others injured in Riyadh airport attack
- Reuters: Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia condemn Houthi attacks on Riyadh airport
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