Sanaa, Oct 8 (IANS): Yemen’s Houthi group said Thursday it launched a fresh ballistic missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh and carried out missile strikes against government forces near the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement posted on social media platform X that a ballistic missile “accurately hit its target” at King Khalid International Airport, disrupting air traffic. There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities of the latest attack claim.
Sarea also issued what he called a “final warning” to international airlines against continuing to operate flights through Saudi airspace, claiming that it had become an area of Houthi military operations. He said the warning did not apply to airspace over the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The latest Houthi claim followed attacks on two Saudi airports on Tuesday and Wednesday that left three people dead and 36 others injured, according to the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for attacks on both airports. Sarea said Wednesday that several drones targeted King Khalid International Airport, while ballistic missiles and drones hit Abha International Airport and King Khalid Air Base near Khamis Mushait in the southwestern Asir region.
Later Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said that it had launched a comprehensive operation, destroying 82 Houthi military targets across several provinces, in response to attacks on civilians and civilian sites in the kingdom.
The recent clashes marked the sharpest escalation since a UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely halted major hostilities in the war-torn country.
Yemen’s conflict began in late 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government, now based in Aden.
