Yemeni rebel missile hits Saudi Arabia's Abha airport

Saudi-led coalition says latest Houthi attack on civilian airport caused no casualties

Saudi passengers enter the departure terminal of Abha airport in Saudi Arabia. AP Photo

A missile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels hit Saudi Arabia's Abha airport on Wednesday night but caused no casualties.

Col Turki Al Malki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the rebels, said the missile struck the civilian airport at 11.35pm.

The rebels claimed the attack through their media outlets, saying the weapon fired was a cruise misssile, official Saudi Press Agency reported.

"This act constitutes a war crime and is a clear admission of a deliberate targeting of civilians" by the rebels, SPA quoted Co Al Malki as saying.

A Houthi military spokesman told Reuters that the missile targeted plane hangars.

Col Al Malki said the rebels attempted another attack on the kingdom on Thursday morning, launching a drone from Saada province, a Houthi stronghold on the border with Saudi Arabia.

The Iran-backed rebels, who seized the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014, have increased drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia in recent months.

Abha airport was also targeted in June. A Houthi drone attack killed a Syrian civilian and wounded seven other people on June 23, while on June 12 a missile attack injured 26 civilians, including two children.

"The repeated attempts are a direct result of the rebel's great losses among its equipment and capabilities," Col Al Malki  said, adding their attacks are "doomed to fail".

The Saudi official said the rebels' ability to launched continued attacks proved Iran's involvement in supporting the Houthis in breach of Security Council resolutions.

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia shot down two Houthi drones. The first was launched from Sanaa and destroyed in Yemeni airspace. The second was launched from Harf Sufyan district in Amran province, north-west of Sanaa, and was also destroyed over Yemen.

The rebel missile and drones are usually intercepted by the coalition before causing any causalities.

The Saudi led-coalition, which includes the UAE, has been fighting the rebels since 2015, after the Houthis attacked the southern port city of Hodeidah.