Coalition spokesman to address Riyadh airport attack and Yemen military operations
Major General Turki al-Malki will brief on the recent attack on King Khalid International Airport and coalition strikes targeting Houthi fuel infrastructure across Yemen.
Mariam Al Mansoori
Saudi-led coalition to hold briefing on Riyadh airport attack, Yemen operation
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen will convene a press conference Thursday to detail the attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and recent military strikes against Iran-backed Houthi militia infrastructure, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Major General Turki al-Malki, the coalition's official spokesman who has regularly briefed on military operations throughout the conflict, is scheduled to address both the assault on the Saudi capital's main international gateway and coalition operations designed to degrade Houthi military capabilities.
The attack on King Khalid International Airport, located approximately 35 kilometers north of central Riyadh, targeted one of the Middle East's busiest aviation hubs. The facility handled 40.8 million passengers in 2025, underscoring the potential civilian impact of such strikes.
The incident forms part of a coordinated assault campaign that has struck three Saudi airports between October 6 and 12, killing at least 20 people and wounding more than 370 others. The wave of attacks represents the deadliest series of strikes on Saudi territory since the Qatif and Dammam mosque bombings in May 2015.
Coalition strikes target fuel networks
On Tuesday, the coalition announced military operations against fuel storage and transport infrastructure used by the Houthis to sustain their war effort. Al-Malki specified that targets included the al-Sabaha Central Station in Sanaa, underground fuel reserves, storage tanks, and fuel transport facilities in Sanaa, Hodeidah and Dhamar.
Hodeidah, Yemen's principal port city, historically handled approximately 70 percent of the country's imports before the conflict and remains strategically vital as both a humanitarian access point and revenue source for the Houthis through cargo taxation.
Coalition officials said the operation aimed to disrupt the militia's missile and drone production capabilities, which threaten Saudi Arabia, Yemen and commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthis' maritime campaign has disrupted a corridor through which approximately one trillion dollars worth of goods passed annually before the conflict, with attacks killing at least nine mariners and sinking four ships since late 2023.
Escalating offensive
The recent strikes occur within the context of broader 2026 Yemen offensives that began September 3, following the Houthis' July 20 declaration of a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia amid renewed regional tensions.
Saudi Arabia's Cabinet warned Tuesday that the Houthis would face consequences for their repeated attacks on the Kingdom, including strikes targeting airports, civilian infrastructure and economic facilities.
The coalition intervention in Yemen began March 26, 2015, when Saudi Arabia and allied Arab nations launched Operation Decisive Storm at the request of Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, who had been forced from the capital Sanaa by Houthi forces. The coalition has maintained military operations in Yemen for more than 11 years since that initial intervention.
