Attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia’s airports this week have killed at least three people and injured dozens, according to reports.
Sources claim that a Sudanese man was killed and seven others were injured in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Wednesday, 7 October.
On Tuesday, 6 October, two women were killed and 30 people were injured in a strike on Abha airport in the kingdom’s south-west.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks and said they would continue targeting Saudi airspace, while Saudi authorities said they were assessing damage and verifying the safety of airport facilities and passenger operations.
The Houthis described their latest actions as part of a broader campaign and warned airlines “for the last time” not to continue flights in Saudi airspace, calling it a “theater” for Houthi military operations.
Their spokesperson, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said Houthi forces again targeted Riyadh airport in the early hours of Thursday, although no evidence was provided with the claim.
Saudi Arabia had not confirmed the Thursday strike, but said earlier attacks had caused property damage and that civil aviation authorities were working to evaluate the effects and ensure security and safety across the kingdom’s civil aviation system.
The conflict, which had reignited in July, has been shaped by shifting control around strategic locations, including the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Saudi-backed Yemeni forces say they launched a major blitz on Sunday aiming to recapture Yemeni territory from the Houthis after the rebels seized areas overlooking the strait in a lightning offensive.
Government forces later said they conducted 2,103 “precision-targeting operations” against the Houthis in several provinces.
Saudi Arabia’s response to the airport attacks has included strikes across Yemen.
The Saudi-led coalition said it had hit 82 targets across several provinces, including 11 mountain-based ballistic missile storage facilities in Saada, a Houthi stronghold.
In a separate statement, Saudi coalition officials said the attacks “will not go unpunished,” adding that they destroyed 82 Houthi military sites across, Hodeidah, Jawf, and Marib.
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