Houthi attack on Riyadh and Abha airports kills 3, injures 36, Saudi authority says
In short
Saudi Arabia's aviation authority said on October 7 that airports in the capital Riyadh and in Abha in the southwest were attacked, leaving three people dead and 36 injured, all of the dead foreigners, Jiji Press reported. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement said it had attacked both airports with missiles and drones. The Saudi-led coalition said it destroyed the launcher used in the Riyadh attack.
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Saudi Arabia's aviation authority said on October 7 that airports in the capital Riyadh and in Abha, in the southwest of the country, had been attacked, leaving three people dead and 36 injured, Jiji Press reported, citing the state news agency. All of those killed were foreigners, according to the report. Mainichi Shimbun also reported at least three dead and 36 injured at two Saudi airports. [ 2 , 3 ]
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement acknowledged attacking both airports with missiles and drones, Jiji Press reported. Mainichi Shimbun reported that the Houthis said in a statement they had attacked Riyadh and the international airport in Abha, among other targets. Headlines in Nishi-Nippon Shimbun and Tokyo Shimbun described the attackers as presumed to be the Houthis. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 ]
The Saudi-led coalition said it destroyed, in retaliation, the launcher of the missile used in the attack on Riyadh. A coalition spokesperson said a new attack on Saudi Arabia had been imminent, according to Jiji Press. [ 2 ]
Mainichi Shimbun reported that Houthi missile attacks also targeted an area north of Riyadh and Khamis Mushait in the southwest, and that these were intercepted. On the same day, Yemen's interim government said a Houthi missile landed near the runway of Aden International Airport in the south of Yemen; a flight from Egypt aborted its landing shortly before and diverted to Jeddah in western Saudi Arabia. [ 1 ]
Mainichi Shimbun said fighting between the Saudi-backed interim government and the Houthis was intensifying on several fronts and drawing in neighbouring countries. The interim government said on October 6 that it was inflicting heavy losses on Houthi forces in the southern city of Taiz, and earlier said it had retaken key positions near the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a claim the Houthis dispute, saying they stopped the government advance. [ 1 ]
Why it matters
The attacks show the fighting between Yemen's Saudi-backed interim government and the Houthis spreading beyond Yemen to Saudi civilian airports, as Mainichi Shimbun described the conflict drawing in neighbouring countries on several fronts. A missile strike near the runway of Aden's airport the same day also disrupted air traffic, with a flight diverted to Jeddah.
Key facts
- Saudi Arabia's aviation authority said airports in Riyadh and Abha were attacked on October 7. [ 2 ]
- Three people were killed and 36 injured; all of the dead were foreigners, according to the authority as reported by state media. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The Houthis said they attacked both airports with missiles and drones. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The Saudi-led coalition said it destroyed the missile launcher used in the Riyadh attack in retaliation, saying a new attack on Saudi Arabia had been imminent. [ 2 ]
- Missile attacks were also reported north of Riyadh and on Khamis Mushait in the southwest, and were intercepted. [ 1 ]
- Yemen's interim government said a Houthi missile landed near the runway of Aden International Airport on October 7, and a flight from Egypt aborted its landing and diverted to Jeddah. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Who carried out the attacks, according to some outlets. Nishi-Nippon Shimbun and Tokyo Shimbun headlines attribute the attack to the Houthis with a question mark, while Jiji Press reports the Houthis acknowledged it.
- The identities and nationalities of the three dead. Jiji Press reports only that all were foreigners.
- How the casualties were split between the Riyadh and Abha airports. No document breaks down the figures by airport.
- The state of the ground fighting in Yemen. Mainichi Shimbun reports the interim government and the Houthis give conflicting accounts of the advance toward the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Mainichi Shimbun reports a Houthi missile struck near the Aden airport runway and Houthi missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh and Khamis Mushait. [ 1 ]
- Jiji Press reports the Saudi aviation authority's figures of three dead and 36 injured at the Riyadh and Abha airports. [ 2 ]
- Mainichi Shimbun reports at least three dead and 36 injured at two Saudi airports. [ 3 ]
- Tokyo Shimbun reports three dead in attacks on airports in the Saudi capital and southwest. [ 6 ]