Yemen’s Houthis, the armed group also known as Ansar Allah (Arabic for Supporters of God), are hitting deep inside Saudi Arabia with waves of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones. Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport has been targeted multiple times by the Houthis since their new military campaign against the kingdom began in September. An attack on the airport on Saturday killed 12 people and wounded 309, the deadliest attack in the kingdom in more than a decade.
Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority was forced to suspend operations and diverted all flights, while the United States and United Kingdom issued new travel warnings for citizens. The Houthis claimed two other attacks on the air hub earlier this week and on Sunday warned people to avoid Saudi airports. Saudi Arabia possesses one of the best-equipped militaries in the world, boasting advanced, multilayered air defence systems.
Saudi warplanes have pummelled Houthi positions across Yemen in the past week, seeking to roll back the Iran-backed group’s recent advances against the Yemeni government army, which Riyadh supports. The Houthis’ own arsenal has come a long way since the group seized control of Sanaa from the government in September 2014. Their drones and missiles have reached as far as Israel and, as their accuracy has shown, can hit particular targets such as Saudi airports and oil facilities.
Here’s what we know about the Houthis’ weaponry, how their tactics have changed and why Saudi air defences are struggling to keep pace. The exact type of weapon used to attack Riyadh airport is unknown, but the Houthis have fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Saudi Arabia since the 2015 intervention. The Iran-backed group has also targeted Israel and allegedly Israeli-linked vessels since the start of the genocide in Gaza in October 2023.
The group has used its weapons in concert, mixing drones and missiles of varying speeds to confound air defences. The same mix has shaped Yemen’s ground war, with the Houthis pounding government positions for weeks before seizing the Red Sea coast in a rapid offensive last month. Among the group’s most advanced options are medium-range ballistic missiles such as the Palestine-2, a two-stage solid fuel missile believed to have a range of 2,000km with hypersonic capabilities.
Another is the Toufan, which appears to be a rebranded Iranian Ghadr missile, thought to have a range of between 1,350km and 1,950km. The reach of those missiles – some carrying cluster warheads – has allowed the Houthis to breach Israel’s air defence network, some 2,000 km from Yemen. The Houthis also maintain a number of short-range missiles, such as their Burkan and Badr series.
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