Cairo, October 8: Three people were killed and at least 36 others injured after attacks targeted two airports in Saudi Arabia, according to Saudi officials. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the strikes, which took place on Wednesday amid escalating tensions linked to the ongoing Iran war.
The attacks targeted Abha Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Civil Aviation did not identify those responsible, although the Houthis claimed the attacks earlier.
Officials said the strike on Abha Airport killed two residents, a Moroccan and an Algerian, and wounded 28 people. Another attack on King Khalid Airport killed a Sudanese national and injured eight others.
Saudi Arabia has faced a series of attacks over the past week, with oil and military infrastructure also coming under threat. New protective fences have reportedly been installed around fuel tanks and other equipment belonging to state-run oil giant Aramco near the capital’s airport.
Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said coalition forces intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile north of Riyadh. He also claimed that a launch platform in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, used to target Riyadh had been destroyed. These claims could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and allied Yemeni forces have launched a major ground and air offensive against the Houthis, targeting territory the rebels reportedly seized along Yemen’s western Red Sea coast and near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The developments come as the Houthis seek to disrupt Saudi-linked shipping. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a major global trade route, with around 12% of global trade passing through the strategic waterway.
The latest attacks mark a further escalation in the regional conflict and raise concerns over the security of Saudi Arabia’s airports, energy infrastructure and critical maritime trade routes.
