The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has vowed to “punish” Houthi rebels after deadly attacks hit airports in Riyadh and Saudi Arabia's southern region, and debris from an intercepted ballistic missile damaged civilian facilities in the capital.
“The brutal attacks by the terrorist Houthi militia on civilians and civilian objects in the kingdom … will not go unpunished,” coalition spokesman Maj Gen Turki Al Malki said on Thursday. He said the coalition’s joint forces had destroyed dozens of military Houthi targets across Yemen.
Authorities at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh urged passengers to check with their airlines and confirm their flight status before heading to the hub as flights continued to be affected.
The Saudi Civil Defence said debris from the missile caused damage to a nursery and a medical clinic on Thursday and two Riyadh residents reported hearing explosions.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the Iran-backed group had targeted the airport in Riyadh repeatedly.
The UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs “condemned in the strongest terms” the attacks, adding that they “constitute a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a threat to its security and stability”.
The ministry, in a statement, reaffirmed the UAE’s “full solidarity” with the kingdom and its support for “all measures” taken in response.
It also expressed its “solidarity and sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims, as well as its wishes for a speedy recovery for all the injured”.
Drone and missile strikes on King Khalid airport and Abha International Airport in the south killed three people and injured 36 others, the kingdom's General Authority of Civil Aviation announced late on Wednesday.
The Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia come amid renewed fighting after the rebels made advances along Yemen's Red Sea coast and a Yemeni government counter-offensive supported by coalition air strikes.
“The targeting of civilian infrastructure is completely unacceptable,” the Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, expressing condolences to the families of those killed and wishing a speedy recovery to those injured. It also expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia and said it stood with the kingdom’s people and government.
France also condemned the Houthis’ repeated attacks on Saudi Arabia and expressed its “full solidarity” with the kingdom's defence of its territory and infrastructure, the Foreign Ministry in Paris said.
Last month, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan called for a comprehensive political solution in Yemen and condemned Houthi missile and drone attacks against his country and commercial vessels, as well as threats to navigation in the Red Sea.
He told the UN General Assembly that a comprehensive agreement was needed to bring stability to Yemen, and called for diplomacy over the bigger conflict between the US and Iran.
Communication channels between the two countries remain open, with new messages exchanged through mediators, five diplomats and sources have told The National, as efforts to reach a lasting agreement to end the nearly seven-month-old war remain elusive.
The push to establish a fresh diplomatic path following the failure to achieve a breakthrough in New York during the UN General Assembly last month comes amid growing signs that both sides are preparing for a major confrontation.
Last week, a source in Tehran told The National that Iran was preparing for a “major round of fighting”. Days later, US media reports suggested President Donald Trump's administration was considering renewed strikes on Iran before the November 3 midterm elections, and that the Pentagon had ordered preparations for possible major combat operations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country was reviewing Washington's response to its proposal, under which the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened within seven days, and could reply within days. “The diplomatic process is still continuing,” he said.
