DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels damaged two airports in southern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen on Monday evening, Saudi authorities said, marking a sharp escalation in fighting that now threatens global energy markets, according to Reuters and The Wall Street Journal.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Airport in the Red Sea city of Jazan and Najran International Airport were damaged in the strikes, and that three people were wounded. The agency said it was assessing the damage and taking measures to ensure the safety of passengers and staff.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed responsibility in a statement on X, saying the group carried out three operations using ballistic and cruise missiles and drones. He claimed targets included King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an Aramco oil refinery in Rabigh, Abha Airport, the Khamis Mushait military base, and other sites in the Asir, Najran, and Jazan regions. He said the attacks were retaliation for Saudi airstrikes on Sanaa and several Yemeni provinces over the previous 24 hours.
Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the Houthi claims beyond the two southern airports, so the full extent of the reported damage remains unverified.
The strikes came as Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces pressed a major counteroffensive to retake territory from the Houthis after weeks of rebel advances. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said about 100 fighter jets provided air cover to Yemeni ground troops pushing along the coast toward the strategic port city of Mokha, while coalition naval forces destroyed weapons depots in Hodeidah province to prevent attacks on vessels in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait — a narrow chokepoint through which a major share of the world’s seaborne oil moves.
The Houthis warned “all international airlines using Saudi airspace” to halt their flights, except those over the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has warned airlines that recurrent missile and drone attacks and active air defenses create “an increased risk of misidentification of civil aircraft.”
“These attacks keep destabilizing the region, igniting further violence and undermining global energy security,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, according to the Journal.
Oil markets reacted immediately. Brent crude traded above $100 a barrel on Tuesday morning, around $100.56, while U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate held near $89.60, according to market data.
