Houthis claim attacks on Saudi airports and Aden as Yemen fighting escalates
In short
Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed ballistic missile and drone attacks on airports and military facilities in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia said three people were lightly injured when airports in Najran and Jizan were hit on Monday, and the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a ballistic missile north of Riyadh. Reuters also reported Houthi missiles launched at Aden airport in Yemen as fighting intensified.
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Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed new attacks on airports and military facilities in neighbouring Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, as the kingdom is pulled deeper into the latest front of the Iran war. The Houthis' military spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, said on social media that the rebels launched ballistic missiles and drones against King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. [ 5 , 6 ]
The spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, said the coalition intercepted a ballistic missile north of Riyadh. Flights were briefly disrupted, according to Flightradar24. New cagelike fences have been erected this week around fuel tanks and other equipment of the state-run Aramco oil company near the Riyadh airport, the Associated Press reported. [ 5 , 6 ]
The latest attacks followed strikes on Monday on airports in the Saudi cities of Najran and Jizan. Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said both facilities were damaged and three people were lightly injured. The statement did not say who was responsible, but it followed an announcement by the Houthis that they had fired missiles and drones at the kingdom. [ 1 , 2 ]
Saree said on Tuesday that the Houthis had fired toward a third airport, Abha International Airport, that day; the Associated Press said it could not confirm whether Abha was hit, and Saudi authorities did not immediately comment. The Saudi-led coalition said Tuesday it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward Khamis Mushait, a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia that is home to a major Saudi military base. The Houthis claimed to have hit an air base in Khamis Mushait. [ 2 , 6 ]
Reuters reported that the Houthis launched missiles at Aden airport in Yemen on Tuesday, with fighting intensifying. The reports appeared in the outlet's English, Spanish and Portuguese editions. [ 3 , 4 , 7 ]
Saudi Arabia and allied Yemeni forces have launched a major ground and air offensive against the Houthis, aiming to retake territory the rebels seized a month ago along Yemen's western Red Sea coast and on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Officials said Monday that coalition forces recaptured several key areas around the strait, through which about 12% of global trade transits, according to the Associated Press. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, wrote that “the Houthis believe that they can maximize Saudi economic costs and compel Saudi Arabia to surrender to Houthi demands by striking civilian infrastructure, such as oil facilities and airports.” [ 5 , 6 ]
A senior Yemeni military official told the Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity, that the Houthis were fighting around Dhubab, a strategic town in Yemen that the internationally recognized government had previously said it had retaken. In Aden, displaced families arriving at the Al-Salam camp in the Dar Sad district faced shortages of water, bedding and other basic necessities after fleeing recent fighting along Yemen's western coast and in Taiz. [ 2 , 5 ]
Why it matters
The attacks pull Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, deeper into a conflict that has already spread across the Middle East, and they touch a shipping route around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait through which about 12% of global trade transits. Damage to airports and oil infrastructure raises the prospect of wider disruption to aviation and energy shipments in the region.
Key facts
- Saudi Arabia said airports in the cities of Najran and Jizan were hit on Monday, damaging both facilities and leaving three people lightly injured. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The Houthis' military spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, said the rebels launched ballistic missiles and drones at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. [ 5 , 6 ]
- The Saudi-led coalition's spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, said the coalition intercepted a ballistic missile north of Riyadh. [ 5 , 6 ]
- Flights were briefly disrupted at Riyadh, according to Flightradar24. [ 5 , 6 ]
- Reuters reported the Houthis launched missiles at Aden airport in Yemen as fighting intensified. [ 3 , 4 , 7 ]
- Saudi Arabia and allied Yemeni forces have launched a major ground and air offensive to retake territory the Houthis seized a month ago along Yemen's western Red Sea coast and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. [ 5 , 6 ]
- Officials said Monday that Saudi-led coalition forces recaptured several key areas around the strait, through which about 12% of global trade transits. [ 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said airports in Najran and Jizan were hit on Monday, damaging both and lightly injuring three people. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The Houthis claimed they launched ballistic missiles and drones at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. [ 5 , 6 ]
- The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a ballistic missile north of Riyadh. [ 5 , 6 ]
- Flights were briefly disrupted, according to Flightradar24. [ 5 , 6 ]
- The Houthis claimed they also targeted Abha airport. [ 2 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the Houthis hit Abha International Airport. The Houthi military spokesperson said they fired toward the airport, but the Associated Press said it could not confirm a hit and Saudi authorities did not immediately comment.
- Whether an air base in Khamis Mushait was struck. The Houthis claimed to have hit an air base there, while the coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward the city, according to the documents.
- Casualties and damage from the Wednesday attacks on Riyadh and from the reported attack on Aden airport. The documents give no casualty or damage figures for these strikes.
- Who was responsible for Monday's attacks on Najran and Jizan. The Saudi civil aviation authority's statement did not say who was responsible, though it followed a Houthi announcement that the rebels had fired missiles and drones at the kingdom.
- Details of the reported missile attack on Aden airport, including damage and who confirmed it. Reported only by Reuters, in English, Spanish and Portuguese editions, with no casualty or damage details.
- The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward Khamis Mushait on Tuesday. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Reuters reports that two Saudi airports were targeted on Monday as fighting with Yemen's Houthis escalates. [ 1 ]
- Saudi Arabia says three people were lightly injured in Monday's attacks on airports in Najran and Jizan; the coalition says it intercepted a ballistic missile toward Khamis Mushait. [ 2 ]
- Reuters reports the Houthis launched missiles at Aden airport as fighting intensifies. [ 3 ]
- The Associated Press reports Houthi claims of new attacks on airports and military facilities in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, including Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport; the coalition says it intercepted a ballistic missile north of Riyadh. [ 5 ]
- Reuters' Portuguese-language edition reports the Aden airport attack and intensifying combat in Yemen. [ 7 ]