Houthi drone and missile strikes on two Saudi Arabian airports killed three people and injured 36 this week, marking one of the deadliest escalations in the Yemen conflict in months and pulling the kingdom deeper into the region's widening war.
Abha and Riyadh airports hit on separate days
Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) confirmed the attacks took place on October 6 and 7. At Abha International Airport in the country's southwest, a strike killed two female residents — one Moroccan and one Algerian — and wounded 28 others, including Saudi citizens and residents from Bangladesh and the Philippines. Injuries ranged from minor to serious.
At King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, a separate attack killed a Sudanese resident and injured eight people — five Saudi citizens, two Egyptian residents and one Pakistani resident. Both airports sustained material damage, and emergency response teams were deployed immediately, GACA said.
Houthis claim the strikes; coalition retaliates
Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for both attacks. Military spokesman Yahya Saree said drones targeted the Riyadh airport while ballistic missiles and drones were used against Abha and the Khamis Mushait airbase. The group had previously warned international airlines to halt flights over Saudi airspace, except over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
The Saudi-led coalition answered with force. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said Saudi forces intercepted a ballistic missile north of Riyadh and destroyed the launch platform in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. The coalition later announced it had struck 82 Houthi military targets across the governorates of Saada, Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf and Ma'rib, warning that the attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure "will not go unpunished."
Aden airport caught in the crossfire
The escalation extended beyond Saudi territory. At Aden International Airport in Yemen, two ballistic missiles and several explosive-laden drones were fired around daybreak, and one missile landed near the runway minutes before Yemenia Airways flight 603 from Cairo was due to land. The plane diverted to Jeddah while authorities evacuated passengers and staff. A separate missile strike in the city of Taiz, held by government forces, wounded five civilians when a shell landed in a crowded street.
What this means for the wider region
The airport attacks deepen a conflict that has erupted during the U.S. war with Iran. Last month the Houthis seized effective control of the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait — through which about 12% of global trade transits — and Saudi-backed Yemeni forces have since pressed a counteroffensive, dubbed "Dawn of Yemen," to retake the area. The International Organization for Migration says the renewed fighting has displaced more than 200,000 people.
The U.S. embassy in Riyadh urged "heightened vigilance" and warned that continued attacks could lead to flight cancellations and airspace closures. Meanwhile, Saudi authorities warned the public that filming and sharing images of drone and missile attacks or interceptions could bring legal charges.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Hitman (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources: Al Jazeera, Wall Street Journal, CNN, The National