Three people were killed and 36 others injured in separate attacks on two Saudi Arabian airports, according to the kingdom’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA).
The attacks targeted Abha International Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 6 and 7. At Abha airport, two women, a Moroccan and an Algerian national, were killed and 28 people were injured, GACA said. A separate attack at King Khalid airport killed a Sudanese national and injured eight people.
The Saudi authorities did not initially identify those responsible for the attacks. However, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed that the group had carried out missile and drone strikes against both airports. Saree said the attacks were in response to what the Houthis described as Saudi aggression against Yemen.
The attacks represent a major escalation as fighting between the Iran-aligned Houthis and Saudi-backed forces in Yemen intensifies. The Houthis have also claimed attacks on Aden International Airport in southern Yemen, including a strike that forced a Cairo-bound passenger flight to divert to Jeddah after a projectile landed near the airport.
Saudi-led forces have responded with airstrikes against Houthi positions and other military infrastructure in Yemen. Reuters reported that the coalition struck more than 80 Houthi sites across several Yemeni governorates following the latest attacks.
The renewed fighting follows a major Houthi advance along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. This includes territory around the strategically important Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Saudi-backed Yemeni forces have launched counteroffensives to regain the area.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration said more than 200,000 people had been displaced inside Yemen as of early October. The attacks on Saudi airports add a new dimension to the conflict by bringing the fight directly to civilian infrastructure.
