In brief
In a fierce spike of violence between the Iran‑backed Houthis and the Saudi‑led coalition, three civilians were killed and 36 injured when ballistic missiles and drones hit Saudi Arabia’s Abha and King Khalid airports. The attacks, occurring on 6 and 7 October, were claimed by the Houthis as retaliation for a barrage of Saudi airstrikes that struck Houthi positions in southern Yemen. The incident highlighted the growing risk to key aviation hubs and the broader strategic tug‑of‑war over the Bab al‑Mandab Strait, a critical chokepoint for global shipping. The Saudi coalition vowed swift retaliation, while the United Nations condemned the escalated cross‑border attacks. The conflict continues to fuel a humanitarian crisis with over 200,000 displaced amid mounting casualties on both sides.
The Saudi authority on civil aviation (GACA) released a statement on Wednesday confirming that two women of Moroccan and Algerian nationality and a Sudanese male were tragically killed in separate attacks on the kingdom's international airports in Riyadh and Abha over the last two days. The incidents left 28 civilians wounded at Abha International Airport and eight injured at King Khalid International Airport in the capital.
The Kaylioufsi missile launch was carried out by Yemen's Houthi militia, which claims responsibility for the attacks. Their spokesperson Yahya Saree said ballistic missiles and drones were used against both airports as a "response to the Saudi aggression against our country" and quoted that Saudi air forces had launched more than 60 strikes in the preceding 24 hours.
The Houthis also targeted Aden International Airport in Yemen earlier in the week, a key gateway for the government‑controlled part of the country, exposing the complexity of the republic's fragile civil aviation network amid the war.
The rapid Houthi offensive has seized much of Yemen's northwest coastline, including the port of Mokha on the Bab al‑Mandab Strait, a narrow channel critical for shipping from the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. However, pro‑government forces backed by Saudi Arabia say they have secure the strait, though the situation remains tense.
The Saudi‑led coalition, formed in 2015 to curb Houthi influence, said it would not tolerate the attacks and listed more than 80 Houthi targets across Saada, Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf and Ma'rib governorates that it intends to strike. The coalition's spokesperson also underlined that the coalition's artillery and air power would be directed at Houthi military facilities.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned "the continued Houthi cross‑border attacks" and voiced deep concern at the sharp escalation. According to the UN, the war has displaced over 200,000 people, and the latest violence has expanded the humanitarian crisis in both Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
Both sides continue to report new casualties, and the likelihood of further cross‑border offensives remains high, raising alarms for international travelers and global shipping stakeholders.
