LONDON: On Dec. 18, 2009, Houthi fighters in northern Yemen fired several artillery rockets across the border into Saudi Arabia.
No casualties were recorded in what may have been the group’s first cross-border projectile attack on the Kingdom. Yet 17 years later, that strike stands as the opening salvo in a campaign of intermittent bombardment that has claimed hundreds of innocent lives.
Over that time, the sophistication and lethality of the Houthi missile arsenal have grown exponentially. Events over the past four months show the militia now holds a large stockpile of long-range drones and missiles capable of striking targets across Saudi Arabia.
An earlier wave of attacks ended in April 2022 with a UN-mediated truce between the Houthis and Yemen’s internationally recognized government, halting cross-border strikes on Saudi Arabia.
That truce collapsed in July 2026 when Saudi air defenses intercepted several Houthi missiles fired at Abha International Airport in Asir province.
More attacks followed using ballistic and cruise missiles. On Oct. 10, a missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 13 people and injured more than 300. A 14th person died when the airport was struck again the next day.
The Kingdom has continued intercepting incoming fire. On Nov. 10, Maj. Gen.
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