Six killed over three days after missile strikes hit Riyadh, Abha airports

A screen capture from footage released Sept. 15 (local time) by a Houthi-affiliated military media outlet shows Houthi fighters standing beside a captured vehicle. [Reuters]
A screen capture from footage released Sept. 15 (local time) by a Houthi-affiliated military media outlet shows Houthi fighters standing beside a captured vehicle. [Reuters]

The Saudi-led coalition announced it had carried out large-scale airstrikes against the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen, destroying 136 military targets. The strikes came as Houthi missiles reached the airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh, casting a shadow over major international events scheduled to take place there.

Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki wrote on social media platform X on Saturday (local time) that the coalition was conducting "large-scale operations" targeting Houthi forces and military capabilities. In a follow-up post, he said 136 military targets in Houthi-controlled areas had been destroyed.

Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported that multiple locations in the northwestern Saada governorate came under Saudi missile strikes. Houthi media also said the airport in the capital Sanaa was hit in an airstrike, killing two people.

The Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014 and have since controlled most of northern Yemen. Saudi Arabia formed the coalition the following year to fight alongside the Yemeni government. After a period of relative calm, hostilities escalated again in July when the Houthis declared a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia.

The airstrikes are linked to a ground offensive. The Yemeni government launched an operation called "Dawn of Yemen" on Monday, aiming to retake Sanaa, with the coalition providing air support.

The conflict has spilled across the border into Saudi civilian infrastructure. Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport in the southwest came under attack Tuesday and Wednesday, killing three people and wounding 36. On Thursday, King Khalid Airport was struck twice more, killing three Saudis including a Saudi Arabian Airlines pilot. The attacks on the two airports claimed six lives over three days.

The Houthis claimed on Monday to have struck King Khalid Airport, an Aramco refinery in the western city of Rabigh, Abha Airport, Khamis Mushait Air Base, and military facilities in Najran and Jizan. That same day, they warned airlines that all Saudi airspace — except over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina — could become an operational zone, and repeated the warning Thursday, calling it a "final warning." The Houthis say the attacks are a response to Saudi airstrikes.

The unrest has begun to affect international events in Riyadh. The World Petroleum Congress energy summit, which brings together energy ministers and corporate executives from around the world, is scheduled to run from Sunday through Thursday. The event had originally been planned for April before being pushed back to October. Starting Oct. 26, the Future Investment Initiative — known as the "Davos of the Desert" — is set to run for four days.

Italian Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin decided to attend the summit virtually rather than in person, according to Reuters, without giving a reason. Britain's Foreign Office advised against all but essential travel to Riyadh province and other parts of Saudi Arabia, while Germany's Lufthansa and India's Air India suspended flights to Riyadh.

The Financial Times reported Saturday that executives at major global companies were weighing whether to attend both events. Several energy industry executives told the Financial Times they planned to attend the petroleum congress, mindful that Saudi Arabia remembers those who stand by it in difficult times. However, they said final decisions were being held off until the last moment.


shee@heraldcorp.com