RIYADH: Three people have been killed and 36 others injured in attacks targeting airports in Saudi Arabia as fighting intensified in Yemen between Iran-aligned Houthi forces and Saudi-backed government troops.
Saudi civil aviation authorities said one person was killed and eight wounded in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Two people were killed and 28 injured in a separate attack targeting facilities at Abha airport.
The authorities said the attacks occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday but did not specify which incident took place on each day.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis vowed retaliation, saying the attacks would not go unpunished. The coalition later said it had carried out strikes against more than 80 Houthi military sites in Yemen’s Saada, Hodeidah, Jawf and Marib governorates.
The attacks came amid a wider escalation targeting aviation infrastructure in the region. Yemen’s Transport Ministry said the Houthis also attacked Aden International Airport with ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones.
One missile landed near the runway shortly before a flight from Cairo was scheduled to land, according to the ministry. Aden airport serves as a major international gateway for areas of Yemen outside Houthi control.
Fighting has recently intensified around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping route that has gained importance amid disruptions to energy trade through the Strait of Hormuz.
Yemeni government forces, backed by Saudi-led coalition air support, have launched a counteroffensive to retake strategic territory near the strait and around Mocha, which the Houthis captured in September.
The renewed fighting has displaced more than 200,000 people, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The conflict has also deepened Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, with the United Nations warning that large numbers of families are facing severe food shortages.
The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, prompting Saudi Arabia to lead a military coalition against the group. Riyadh accuses Iran of supporting the Houthis, while Tehran and the Houthis deny the allegations.
