RIYADH — Attacks claimed by Yemen’s Houthi movement on two airports in Saudi Arabia killed three people and wounded 36 this week, the Saudi civil aviation authority said, a sharp escalation that brought Yemen’s reignited war directly into the Saudi capital.
On Tuesday, a strike on Abha International Airport in the kingdom’s southwest killed two female residents — one Moroccan and one Algerian — and wounded 28 people, the General Authority of Civil Aviation said. On Wednesday, a ballistic missile struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, killing a Sudanese national and wounding eight others.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for both attacks, the Wall Street Journal reported, and had previously warned international airlines to avoid Saudi airspace except over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a ballistic missile north of Riyadh on Wednesday and destroyed the missile’s launch platform in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said Saudi forces had also destroyed the launcher used in the Riyadh attack, warning that preparations were underway for further attacks.
The strikes come as Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces press Operation “Dawn of Yemen,” a major counteroffensive aimed at retaking territory the Houthis seized last month along the Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping lane.
On Thursday, the Houthis claimed another ballistic missile attack on Riyadh’s airport, and flight-tracking data showed the airport had closed again, with smoke visible and outgoing flights halted, CNN reported. Saudi officials have not confirmed the latest claim. The kingdom also warned this week that filming or sharing images of drone and missile attacks could bring legal charges, the Journal reported.
The escalation has drawn international concern: Reuters reported that U.S. and Syrian officials say Syria is considering sending troops to help Saudi Arabia fight the Houthis, while Pakistan confirmed it has troops stationed in the kingdom as the conflict deepens.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Sources: Wall Street Journal; Reuters; CNN; Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation.
