How Big of a Threat Are the Houthis?

Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh partially resumed operations on Sunday, October 25, ending a two-week suspension caused by a series of deadly attacks from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia. The facility reopened with Terminal 1 handling domestic flights and Terminal 2 serving international routes operated by national carriers. This decision occurred despite fresh warnings from Houthi leadership that the airport remains a valid military target and that further strikes are imminent. On the same day, Saudi defense forces reported intercepting multiple waves of ballistic missiles and drones aimed at the capital and the kingdom’s southern provinces. The airport had ceased all operations on October 10 following a Houthi strike that killed 13 people and injured more than 300 others. That incident marked the deadliest attack within the Saudi kingdom in over a decade. Although authorities announced the partial reopening late Saturday, flight tracking data indicated minimal traffic at the hub early Sunday. One aircraft was observed departing for the coastal city of Jeddah, but overall activity remained sparse. Passengers were instructed to contact their airlines directly to confirm booking statuses and schedules before traveling to the terminal. Tensions escalated significantly during the reopening period. As the airport prepared to accept flights, residents in Riyadh received alert messages warning of a hostile aerial threat and urging them to remain in safe locations. Journalists in the capital reported hearing three distinct explosions in the early hours of Sunday. The Saudi-led military coalition stated that air defenses successfully intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh, along with two drones in the capital area. Later that morning, the coalition confirmed the interception of a cruise missile targeted at the kingdom’s southern region. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree issued a stern warning against the resumption of aviation activities. He declared that the facility would "never be safe" and characterized it as a military objective for their forces. Saree explicitly warned international, regional, and local airlines, as well as staff and travelers, against using King Khalid Airport. He asserted that the Saudi regime would bear the consequences of any continued operations at the site. The Houthis claimed responsibility for attacks on the air hub and other strategic sites, including the cities of Khamis Mushait and Jazan. It remained unclear whether specific strikes mentioned by the rebels corresponded exactly to the projectiles intercepted by Saudi defenses. The broader conflict has intensified into a destabilizing factor within the wider geopolitical landscape involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. The fighting, which reignited after a years-long truce between the Houthis and the Riyadh-backed government collapsed, has turned Saudi Arabia into a critical pressure point in the regional war. Residents in Khamis Mushait described the bombardment as heavy, with one anonymous witness telling AFP that everything was shaking due to continuous explosions. Alerts warning of potential attacks were active across the southern kingdom throughout the day, prompting the Saudi-led coalition to report the interception of at least ten ballistic missiles. Beyond the immediate military exchanges, the conflict continues to strain diplomatic efforts and humanitarian operations. Saudi Arabia is actively seeking greater international support as the situation deteriorates. Reema Bandar al-Saud, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, recently published an opinion piece comparing the Houthi threat to that posed by the Islamic State. She argued that the Yemeni group is currently underestimated, similar to how the Islamic State was viewed before declaring a caliphate. Al-Saud urged the global community to set a definitive goal to dismantle the Houthis as an armed terrorist force, noting that the Islamic State was defeated by local forces supported by a coalition of more than 80 nations. She maintained that the Houthis could be defeated through a similar approach. While the Houthis do not seek to establish a global caliphate, their objectives focus on conquering Yemen and eliminating Saudi influence from the country. Their asymmetric tactics, particularly the deployment of low-cost drones, have presented significant challenges to Saudi Arabia’s sophisticated military infrastructure. With other Iranian proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah degraded by Israeli actions in recent years, the Houthis have emerged as one of the most potent actors aligned with Tehran in the Middle East. The group has also targeted Israel with strikes, including incidents in 2022 and this year, and previously attacked Abu Dhabi. The conflict’s impact extends to global trade and humanitarian logistics. Houthi territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline have increased their control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This development has created a dual chokepoint crisis, compounding disruptions already affecting traffic in the Strait of Hormuz due to the broader Iran-related conflict. Evidence suggests the Houthis are collaborating with other regional terrorist entities, including al-Shabab, an al Qaeda affiliate operating in Somalia. Marwan Ali Noman, a political advisor to Yemeni Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba, emphasized that the threat is not limited to Yemen but poses a danger to the entire region and the international community. Humanitarian agencies are grappling with the escalating violence. Luke J. Lindberg, the newly appointed executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme, disclosed that 37 WFP workers are currently detained by Houthi forces in Yemen. All detainees are Yemeni nationals employed locally by the agency, and many have been held for nearly two years. Lindberg described the situation as heartbreaking and stressed the necessity of protecting humanitarian personnel who provide essential services without influencing political outcomes. He noted that the WFP faces difficult choices regarding where to operate, restricting access to certain areas to ensure staff safety amidst the complex political environment. The humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains severe, with more than 18 million people facing acute food insecurity. Over two million children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition. Globally, conflict accounts for approximately two-thirds of acute food insecurity, leaving an estimated 266 million people facing severe hunger. While some nations, including the United Kingdom, Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey, have offered increased defensive assistance to Riyadh, there is widespread reluctance to engage in direct ground intervention. The United States, which has conducted strikes on the Houthis in previous periods, has thus far avoided direct military intervention in the current escalation. The internationally recognized Yemeni government has called for enhanced international involvement but has explicitly stated it does not require foreign troops on the ground.