Three Killed as Houthi Forces Strike Saudi Airports
Abha International Airport was hit on 6 October, killing two spectators and wounding 28 others. The Saudi civil aviation authority said the casualties included Moroccan and Algerian women.
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh suffered a separate attack on 7 October. A Sudanese resident was killed and eight people received injuries when a missile or drone struck the apron area.
Both incidents are marked by the Houthi militia’s claim of responsibility. A Houthi spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said the group used ballistic missiles and drones, retaliating for what it described as “60 airstrikes and missile attacks in the last 24 hours” launched by Saudi forces.
The escalation follows a recent Houthi advance that secured the strategic port of Mokha on the Bab al‑Mandab Strait, a chokepoint of global Red Sea shipping. In response, Saudi‑led coalition officials warned that the attacks would not go unpunished and announced a campaign targeting more than 80 Houthi sites across the north‑west, the central highlands, and the south of Yemen.
UN Secretary‑General António Guterres condemned the latest cross‑border assaults and expressed deep concern over the sharp rise in fighting, which has already displaced more than 200,000 people. The UN has urged all parties to hold a lasting ceasefire to avoid a further humanitarian disaster.
These attacks underscore how Yemen’s civil war continues to unfold beyond its borders, affecting Saudi Arabia’s security and the international shipping lanes that thread through the Red Sea. The situation remains fluid, with both sides accusing one another of escalating the conflict while the global community watches for a potential broader regional fallout.
