The Current Affairs Digest · ages 15+ · 2026-10-25
Riyadh Airport Partly Reopens as Houthi Missiles Keep Coming
Saudi forces intercept a missile and a drone aimed at the capital on the day two terminals restart.
Saudi Arabia reopened two terminals at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on Sunday 25 October. Terminal 1 handles domestic flights and Terminal 2 international ones. The airport had been shut for about two weeks after strikes earlier in October by the Houthis, an armed group from Yemen, Saudi Arabia's southern neighbour, which is backed by Iran.
The attacks did not stop for the reopening. On the same day the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a ballistic missile launched towards Riyadh and destroyed a drone aimed at the capital. It also reported intercepting ten ballistic missiles aimed at the kingdom's southern region. A Houthi spokesman called the airport unsafe and said it remained a “military target”.
Airlines are moving cautiously. Emirates says its flights to Riyadh and Dammam are due to resume on 8 November. The United States has ordered its non-emergency government staff out of Saudi Arabia as the attacks worsened, and American embassies across the region have tightened security over warnings of Iranian plots. The US administration has said it will hold off on renewed strikes on Iran until after its 3 November midterm elections.
Markets are pricing the risk. Brent crude closed at $116.72 a barrel on Friday 23 October, its highest close since 29 April, and India's Sensex fell for a fourth straight session. The Economy page explains the numbers.
Why it matters
Saudi Arabia is one of the world's largest oil exporters. Attacks on its capital add to the risk built into the price of every barrel India imports, and disrupt flights between India and the Gulf, where many Indians live and work.
THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ. A wider war with Iran would threaten this route as well as Saudi Arabia.