Saudi Arabia says three people were killed and dozens wounded in Houthi attacks on two of its international airports this week, a sharp spillover of Yemen's renewed civil war across the border. The kingdom's General Authority of Civil Aviation said the attacks hit Abha International Airport, near the Yemeni frontier, and King Khalid International Airport in the capital, Riyadh, on 6 and 7 October. It did not name those responsible, but the Houthis, an Iran-backed group that controls most of northwest Yemen, claimed the strikes.
According to the aviation authority, two women were killed at Abha, while a Sudanese resident died in Riyadh. Reports differ on the victims' nationalities and on the number of wounded: the BBC cites 28 injured at Abha and eight in Riyadh, while AFP puts the total at 36. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said ballistic missiles and drones were used and described the attacks as a response to Saudi air strikes. The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted the missile fired at Riyadh and destroyed the launch platform. The Houthis also said they hit Aden airport, the main gateway for government-held Yemen; Yemeni officials said a missile landed near the runway shortly before a flight from Cairo, which was diverted to Jeddah.
The fighting has intensified since the civil war reignited in July after a four-year ceasefire. The Houthis seized the western Red Sea coastline, including the port of Mokha near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a narrow chokepoint for global shipping. Yemen's internationally recognised government, backed by Saudi Arabia, has launched a counter-offensive aimed at retaking all Houthi-held territory, and says it has secured the strait. AFP's military sources from both sides reported no major shifts on the ground, though at least 62 combatants were killed in clashes on Wednesday. Claims are difficult to verify independently. The coalition says it struck more than 80 Houthi sites, and the Houthis fired a missile at Taiz, wounding five civilians. The UN says more than 200,000 people have been displaced, and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the cross-border attacks.
Saudi Arabia is reportedly seeking wider help. Citing a US official and a Syrian military official, Reuters reported that Riyadh asked Syria to send forces, and that Damascus is weighing options from defensive support to offensive deployments. A Syrian diplomat said any cooperation would go through official channels, stressing that domestic recovery remains the priority. A US official warned that clashes with the Houthis could raise sensitive sectarian issues.
The escalation matters because the Saudi-led coalition has fought the Houthis since 2015 in a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and left most Yemenis dependent on aid. Attacks on civilian aviation in Riyadh, and the risk to Red Sea shipping lanes, raise the regional stakes.