Arab Coalition: Ballistic Missile Targeting Riyadh Airport Arrived Via Hodeidah Port

Arab Coalition spokesman Turki Al-Maliki gives a press conference at the King Salman Airbase in Riyadh on Nov. 5, 2017. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images)
Arab Coalition spokesman Turki Al-Maliki gives a press conference at the King Salman Airbase in Riyadh on Nov. 5, 2017. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images)
TT
20

Arab Coalition: Ballistic Missile Targeting Riyadh Airport Arrived Via Hodeidah Port

Arab Coalition spokesman Turki Al-Maliki gives a press conference at the King Salman Airbase in Riyadh on Nov. 5, 2017. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images)
Arab Coalition spokesman Turki Al-Maliki gives a press conference at the King Salman Airbase in Riyadh on Nov. 5, 2017. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images)

The Arab Coalition backing the Yemeni internationally-recognized government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi announced on Friday that the ballistic missile which targeted Riyadh's civilian airport earlier his month was trafficked through the Red Sea port of Hodiedah.

Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki released a statement saying that the missile launched towards the city of Riyadh on Nov 4 had entered through Yemen's port of Hodeidah.

International, regional backlash erupted after the audacious targeting, as Riyadh chose to resort to reviewing and implementing stringent security checks inhibiting smuggled arms arriving to the hands of Tehran-aligned Houthi militias in Yemen.

On the other hand, the Arab Coalition also announced that 42 flight permits were issued for ships and relief aircraft.

“Since November 4th; there have been 82 permits issued to facilitate entry and aid distribution into Yemen: 40 permits through sea ports and 42 permits through airports,” said the spokesperson.

“This includes issuing clearance for a ship today (Rena), carrying 5,500 Metric Tons of food supplies, to the Port of Hodeidah,” Maliki added.

Additionally, there have been 5 clearances issued to aircraft bound to Sana’a Airport; including the November 22 clearance for an International Committee Red Cross plane.

Three days ago, Saudi Arabia said that the coalition will see to the reopening of Hodeidah port to aid shipments and the Sana’a airport to United Nations flights.

Upon its announcement, the coalition renewed its call for the UN to take over the port of Hodeidah, which is under the control of the coup militia.

The White House welcomed in a statement the coalition’s initiative on reopening each of the port of Hodeidah and the international airport, allowing a healthier flow of humanitarian aid into Yemen.

The statement described the decision to open the port of Hodeidah and Sana’a airport as a first step in addressing the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, expressing Washington's aspiration to take additional steps.



Türkiye, Syria Sign Defense Cooperation MoU after Ankara Talks

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, accompanied by General Intelligence Service Director Hussein Al-Salama and Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, meets with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara, Turkey, August 13, 2025. Turkish Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, accompanied by General Intelligence Service Director Hussein Al-Salama and Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, meets with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara, Turkey, August 13, 2025. Turkish Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
TT
20

Türkiye, Syria Sign Defense Cooperation MoU after Ankara Talks

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, accompanied by General Intelligence Service Director Hussein Al-Salama and Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, meets with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara, Turkey, August 13, 2025. Turkish Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, accompanied by General Intelligence Service Director Hussein Al-Salama and Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, meets with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara, Turkey, August 13, 2025. Turkish Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS

The defense ministers of Türkiye and Syria signed a memorandum of understanding on military training and consultancy after talks in Ankara on Wednesday, Türkiye's defense ministry said.

The neighbors had been negotiating a comprehensive military cooperation agreement for months, after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad in December.

Also, speaking at a news conference in Ankara with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israel and the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, of undermining the country’s efforts to reestablish itself after more than a decade of civil war.
He said Israel had “fueled certain difficulties” in Syria and warned that Israeli security "cannot be achieved through undermining the security of your neighbors."
“To the contrary, you should make sure your neighboring countries are prosperous and secure. If you try to destabilize these countries, if you take steps to that end, this could trigger other crises in the region.”
Most recently, hundreds were killed in clashes in the southern province of Sweida between government forces and local Bedouin tribesmen on one side and fighters from the Druze minority on the other.