How Yemen's renewed fighting is spilling into Saudi Arabia

The Houthis claimed new missile attacks on Saudi airports on Thursday, while the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted missiles heading toward Riyadh and Khamis Mushait. Houthi-run media reported at least three deaths in coalition strikes in Yemen. [2] The exchange followed airport attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday that Saudi aviation authorities said killed three people and wounded 36. [2][14] Why it matters: The escalation is turning renewed fighting inside Yemen into a cross-border threat to civilian aviation, while the UN says more than 200,000 people have been displaced by the fighting. It also represents a major reversal from the relative restraint following the 2022 UN-brokered truce. [14][2] Key insights: The sequence matters: a Houthi offensive captured strategically important stretches of Yemen's Red Sea coast, followed by attacks on Saudi airports and further coalition strikes. [14][2] | Interception does not eliminate civilian exposure: Saudi Civil Defense said missile debris damaged a kindergarten and medical complex in Riyadh. [2] | Regional backing has limits: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement as defensive and said Türkiye would not deploy troops abroad to launch an attack. [2] Cheatsheet facts: What changed: Renewed fighting crossed into Saudi civilian airports; authorities reported three deaths and 36 injuries in two days. [14] | Why now: The attacks followed a Houthi advance along Yemen's Red Sea coast and worsening fighting with Saudi-backed forces. [14] | Watch next: Track coalition interception statements, Saudi airport flight operations and UN displacement updates. [2][14]