Three civilians were killed and 36 people were injured when Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched separate drone and ballistic missile attacks targeting Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Saudi aviation authorities.
At Abha International Airport, two female residents—a Moroccan national and an Algerian national—were killed, while 28 other people sustained injuries.
The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) reported that the Tuesday and Wednesday assaults on the two facilities caused material damage and casualties among multiple nationalities. The wounded at Abha included Saudi citizens as well as residents from Bangladesh and the Philippines. Meanwhile, the strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed a Sudanese citizen and wounded eight individuals, among them five Saudi citizens, two Egyptians, and one Pakistani national.
Coalition Retaliation and Air Defense Interceptions
Major-General Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, stated that coalition forces intercepted a ballistic missile north of Riyadh. Saudi troops also dismantled a launching site in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, which had been used to direct strikes toward the Saudi capital.
In response to the airport strikes, the Saudi-led coalition vowed that the attacks will not go unpunished.
Simultaneous Assaults on Aden Airport and Regional Shipping Lanes
The widening hostilities also reached inside Yemen. Security authorities in Aden confirmed that two missiles were fired at the airport with no casualties reported when the Houthis launched ballistic missiles targeting Aden’s international airport.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait handles approximately 12 per cent of global trade, giving the Houthis vital surveillance advantages as they pursue a blockade of Saudi-linked shipping.
These aviation attacks coincide with ground fighting along Yemen’s western Red Sea coast. Yemeni government forces, backed by Saudi-led air support, launched an offensive to recapture strategic territory around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that the rebels had seized the previous month.
Think Tank Outlines Houthi Motives for Striking Infrastructure
A Washington-based think tank outlined the underlying motives behind the campaign against civil aviation and energy hubs. Pakistan has confirmed it has troops stationed in the Gulf kingdom, with a Lt. Gen. confirming their presence.
“The Houthis believe that they can maximise Saudi economic costs and compel Saudi Arabia to surrender to Houthi demands by striking civilian infrastructure, such as oil facilities and airports.”
Institute for the Study of War, via Aljazeera
The United States embassy in Saudi Arabia issued an updated security alert warning American citizens that the conflict has the potential to escalate and urging vigilance amid potential flight cancellations and airspace disruptions.
With fuel storage tanks near Riyadh’s airport already surrounded by new cage-like protective fences, security concerns have intensified across the region. The warning followed a notice issued 24 hours prior by the UK Embassy in Saudi Arabia, which advised British citizens that the nation continued to experience missile and drone assaults directed at urban centers, airports, military installations, and energy facilities, while also calling on them to adhere to regional directives and sign up for security notifications.
More than 200,000 people were displaced by the earlier civil war.
