Two attacks on airports in Saudi Arabia carried out by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels from Yemen have resulted in at least three deaths and multiple injuries, according to Saudi officials. The strikes targeted Abha Airport in the southwest of the kingdom and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh over Tuesday and Wednesday, intensifying the ongoing conflict that has drawn Saudi Arabia deeper into the broader regional tensions linked to Iran.
Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Civil Aviation reported that the attack on Abha Airport killed two foreign residents—a Moroccan and an Algerian—and wounded 28 others. The strike on King Khalid International Airport resulted in the death of a Sudanese national and injured eight additional people. The precise timing of each attack was not specified by Saudi authorities, but the Houthis took responsibility for the assaults, which included missile and drone launches.
The Houthis subsequently claimed a further attack on King Khalid Airport on Thursday, accompanied by a warning urging airlines to avoid Saudi airspace. The group has also targeted other locations, including Aden’s international airport in Yemen, where a ballistic missile reportedly landed near a runway shortly before a flight from Cairo was due to arrive. Some airlines, such as Lufthansa and Air India, responded by suspending flights to Riyadh.
In response, the Saudi-led coalition engaged in a series of retaliatory strikes against over 80 Houthi military sites across governorates including Saada, Hodeidah, Jawf, and Marib. The coalition also intercepted a ballistic missile north of Riyadh and destroyed a platform in Sanaa said to have been used to launch attacks on the Saudi capital. Saudi officials have been reinforcing security measures near critical infrastructure, including the installation of protective fencing around Aramco oil facilities close to Riyadh’s airport.
The ongoing clashes are part of a wider Saudi-backed offensive aimed at recapturing territory along Yemen’s western Red Sea coast and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait—a strategically vital maritime chokepoint through which approximately 12 percent of global trade passes. Yemeni government forces and their Saudi allies recently reclaimed key positions around the strait, which the Houthis had seized in September, though fighting remains intense and the situation on the ground fluid. The Houthis assert that they have regained control of some areas, including Dhubab and Al-Jadid, but these claims have been disputed by Yemeni government officials.
The conflict in Yemen, which has lasted over a decade, has worsened recently amid escalating regional rivalries involving Iran and the United States. The fighting has led to massive humanitarian consequences; the International Organization for Migration reported that over 200,000 people have been displaced since the latest round of hostilities began. Calls for increased humanitarian aid have intensified as the crisis deepens.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi condemned Saudi Arabia’s support for Yemeni government forces in recent operations and indicated his group’s readiness to support Palestinians in future conflicts with Israel. Saudi Arabia and its allies have vowed to continue their offensive until the Houthis are defeated and Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, is liberated from rebel control. The United States is reported to be providing intelligence and logistical support to the Saudi-led coalition’s campaign.