Houthis claim missile strike on Riyadh airport as airlines suspend flights

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis claim they struck Riyadh airport with a ballistic missile, damaging a plane and prompting some airlines to suspend flights to the Saudi capital. Saudi Arabia has not commented on the claim. Three sources told Reuters shrapnel from an interception or projectile heavily damaged a Saudia Airlines plane that caught fire while parked at a terminal Thursday, with no passengers believed aboard. Witnesses reported explosions, and Lufthansa and Air India suspended flights, while nearly half of airport departures were cancelled. The Houthis escalated strikes Thursday, attempting to shut down Saudi airspace and warning workers away from energy plants, which they said would be targeted. Saudi officials confirmed three deaths this week from strikes on Riyadh and Abha airports, with debris hitting a kindergarten and medical complex.