Three people have lost their lives in a series of drone and missile strikes targeting two major airports inside Saudi Arabia, according to aviation officials. The violent incidents occurred across two days, marking a severe cross-border escalation in the ongoing civil conflict involving Yemen.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation reported that Abha International Airport, situated close to the southern frontier with Yemen, was struck during the offensive. That specific incident resulted in two fatalities and left 28 individuals with injuries.
Authorities identified the victims at Abha as female nationals from Morocco and Algeria. A separate strike targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the nation's capital, killing one person and wounding eight others. The fatality in the capital was confirmed to be a Sudanese male resident.
Responsibility for the airport operations was publicly claimed by the Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree. The official stated that the group deployed ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles against both Saudi facilities. Saree asserted the strikes were retaliation for dozens of recent airstrikes conducted by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
The Houthi forces also claimed an attack on the international airport in Aden, a critical transportation hub outside insurgent control. The renewed fighting follows a rapid offensive by the movement in Yemen's northwest, which included the capture of vital coastal territory along the Red Sea. Pro-government forces backed by Riyadh subsequently announced they had stabilized the Bab al-Mandab Strait and declared a full mobilization to retake lost regions.
In response to the airport bombardments, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition warned that the actions would face severe consequences. Coalition warplanes reportedly struck more than 80 insurgent military targets across several Yemeni governorates in retaliation.
The renewed violence follows the breakdown of a temporary truce initially established in 2022. That cease-fire had briefly quieted a multi-year conflict that produced one of the planet's worst humanitarian disasters.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced strong condemnation regarding the cross-border missile and drone operations. He expressed deep alarm over the rapid intensification of hostilities, which has forced more than 200,000 residents to flee their homes in recent weeks.
Reporting based on coverage first published by BBC News. Read the original report at BBC News.
