Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have intensified the Yemen conflict, with the group claiming strikes on Riyadh airport, the Rabigh refinery and military sites. Saudi-led forces have answered with Hodeidah strikes and a wider Yemen offensive, while Turkey and Pakistan prepare troop deployment.
Riyadh airport
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement said Monday that it launched a large-scale series of missile and drone attacks against targets across Saudi Arabia, sharply raising regional tensions.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said one operation targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh using ballistic and cruise missiles alongside drones. He claimed the attack reached its target and disrupted air traffic. Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the Houthi account, making the extent of any damage unclear.
The group also said airports and military positions in southern Saudi Arabia were among its targets, including facilities around Abha, Khamis Mushait and other locations in the southwest.
Rabigh refinery
Saree separately claimed that Houthi forces attacked Saudi Aramco’s Rabigh refinery in the Mecca region and caused a fire at the facility. The announcement formed part of three operations that the Houthis said involved large numbers of drones and missiles.
The latest claims follow earlier attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure. An October 3 Houthi strike targeted an Aramco facility in Riyadh with missiles and drones, although Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed damage from that incident either.
The renewed focus on Aramco facilities has increased concerns about energy security as fighting spreads around important Gulf and Red Sea trade routes.
Hodeidah strikes
The Saudi-led coalition responded with military action in Yemen’s Hodeidah province. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Malki said naval forces destroyed weapons depots, storage sites for explosive-laden boats and naval mines.
According to an official Saudi Press Agency statement, the operation also disrupted what the coalition described as an imminent Houthi plan to attack shipping lanes in the southern Red Sea. The coalition said protecting navigation through the Bab Al-Mandab Strait was a central objective.
Yemen offensive
Fighting has also expanded on the ground. Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces launched a major operation around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Yemen’s western coastline, supported by Saudi air power.
Around 100 fighter jets were involved in the broader campaign, according to coalition statements, as pro-government forces sought to regain strategically important territory from the Houthis. The fighting has again placed one of the world’s most important maritime routes at the centre of the Yemen conflict.
Troop deployment
The escalation has now drawn Saudi Arabia’s regional allies more directly into its defence. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey held an emergency meeting in Riyadh on October 5 under the Makkah Alliance for Defense.
The three countries agreed to move toward practical implementation of their collective defence commitments and provide agreed military forces and capabilities for rapid deployment in Saudi Arabia. The joint statement said the measures would strengthen military readiness and deterrence against threats to alliance members.
The decision significantly raises the geopolitical stakes. What began as another escalation in Yemen now involves Saudi critical infrastructure, Red Sea shipping and formal defence coordination involving Turkey and Pakistan, increasing the risk that the conflict could widen further across the region.
