Two Saudi airports attacked as Yemen fighting intensifies

Two airports in Saudi Arabia were attacked on Monday night as fighting between Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces intensified, sources said on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said the attacks targeted King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Jizan and Najran International Airport, both in the south of the kingdom near the Yemeni border.

The attacks caused three minor injuries and material damage, the authority said, adding that it was assessing the damage and taking measures to ensure the safety of passengers and staff and maintain the security of the kingdom’s civil aviation system.

The Iran-backed Houthis had claimed on Monday night that they attacked King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an Aramco refinery in Rabigh, Abha International Airport and a military base in Khamis Mushait. The claims could not be immediately verified.

Aviation monitoring platform FlightsRadar24 said flights to and from Riyadh’s main airport were “on hold” on Tuesday, while the airport’s website was inaccessible.

The latest attacks came as battles between Houthi fighters and Yemeni government forces continued along the western coast, with the Saudi-led coalition providing air support and striking Houthi positions in Sanaa and Hodeidah.

Coalition spokesman Maj Gen Turki Al Malki said coalition forces had destroyed a ballistic missile launch platform in Sanaa and a missile storage facility in Saada containing 20 ballistic missiles.

He said coalition naval forces also destroyed military targets in Hodeidah and foiled a plot for imminent attacks against waterways in the southern Red Sea.

The operation also destroyed weapons depots, facilities storing explosive-laden boats and naval mines, he added.