Houthis Claim Missile and Drone Strikes Near Riyadh as Footage Shows Fighters in Dhubab
Houthi media report repeated missile and UAV launches toward Riyadh’s international airport that briefly halted flights, while new video evidence shows Houthi fighters present in Dhubab despite earlier Saudi‑aligned claims the city had been retaken.
Regional reports say Yemen’s Houthi movement launched several missile and drone attacks overnight toward Riyadh’s international airport, prompting temporary pauses in air traffic, as separate footage confirms Houthi units operating in the coastal city of Dhubab.
According to Houthi‑aligned outlets, the group fired multiple missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles toward King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Details on interceptions or damage weren’t provided, but flight movements at the airport were reportedly halted several times during the night.
In parallel, Houthi messaging insists the group still controls all territory it has captured or, in its terminology, liberated. It portrays “the Saudi enemy” as achieving victories only in friendly media coverage. Yemen TV and Al‑Arabiya had previously reported that the Saudi‑backed Presidential Leadership Council had taken Dhubab and Mokha.
That narrative was challenged on 6 October, when footage circulated by conflict observers showed armed Houthi fighters in Dhubab. The video supports Houthi claims of an ongoing presence there and contradicts earlier assertions by Yemen TV and Al‑Arabiya that Dhubab and Mokha were firmly under PLC control.
For Saudi Arabia, the combination of long‑range attacks on its main international airport and contested control along Yemen’s Red Sea coast presents both security and economic concerns. Riyadh must maintain air defenses capable of dealing with intermittent missile and drone launches that can disrupt air travel, while also tracking front‑line changes in areas that sit close to the Bab el‑Mandeb strait.
People in Riyadh experience the conflict through sudden flight cancellations or delays when airspace is temporarily closed. For residents of Dhubab and surrounding areas, shifting front lines and competing claims of control influence who runs checkpoints, manages local security and decides how ports and coastal roads are used.
The Houthis’ continuing ability to launch weapons toward central Saudi Arabia after years of airstrikes and blockades illustrates the durability of their missile and drone programs. Their reported presence in Dhubab gives them a foothold near one of the region’s most important maritime chokepoints.
Signals to watch include further open‑source imagery showing which forces hold Dhubab and Mokha, changes in commercial and military flight patterns around Riyadh and any public adjustments in Saudi or coalition statements about control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
Sources
- OSINT