Saturday’s attack marked a sharp escalation in Yemen’s war and was the deadliest on Saudi soil in more than a decade, amid recent Houthi gains along the Red Sea coast. (EPA Images pic)SANAA: Yemen's Houthis issued a new threat to Saudi Arabia's airspace on Sunday after an attack on the kingdom's international airport in Riyadh killed 12 people and wounded hundreds.

Saturday's attack, the deadliest on Saudi soil in more than a decade, was a sharp escalation in the Yemen war, where Riyadh backs the internationally recognised government against the Houthis, who captured swathes of Red Sea coastline in a lightning offensive last month.

While the Houthis stopped short of claiming the strike, they threatened new attacks on the kingdom's airports, except for the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, warning passengers not to travel.