Houthi attacks on Saudi airports leave three dead, officials say — SkimNews
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- Houthi rebels claimed twin strikes on Saudi Arabia's Abha and King Khalid international airports on Wednesday, killing three people — a Moroccan and Algerian resident at Abha and a Sudanese national in Riyadh — and wounding 36 others, according to Saudi officials.
- Saudi Arabia erected new cage-like fencing around Aramco oil facilities near Riyadh's airport after a week of attacks on the kingdom, the world's top oil exporter, with the Saudi-led coalition intercepting a ballistic missile north of the capital and destroying a rebel launch platform in Sanaa.
- Saudi-led coalition forces launched a major ground and air offensive to retake territory the Houthis seized along Yemen's western Red Sea coast and the Bab el-Mandeb strait, through which about 12% of global trade transits.
- Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed rebels had regained control of the key town of Dhubab and the Bab el-Mandeb strait after intensified fighting, though the AP could not independently verify the claim and a Yemeni government official denied it.
- Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi used a Wednesday speech marking the third anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack to express solidarity with Gaza and declare the rebels ready to support Palestinians in 'any new round of escalation' with Israel.
- United Nations figures cited in the report put the toll of the latest escalation at nearly 1,000 killed and more than 200,000 displaced, with the World Health Organization warning of rising cholera and malnutrition cases and shortages of surgical supplies.
- A Houthi missile struck near the runway at Aden airport just before Yemen Airways Flight 603 from Cairo was scheduled to land; the plane touched down safely at 3:30 a.m. local time, according to FlightAware.
Why it matters: Fighting has shattered a four-year ceasefire in Yemen, killed nearly 1,000 people, and displaced more than 200,000, with the WHO warning of rising cholera and malnutrition. The Houthis' grip on the Bab el-Mandeb strait — 12% of global trade — combined with direct attacks on Saudi airports and Aramco facilities means the world's top oil exporter is now fighting on civilian-infrastructure and shipping-corridor fronts simultaneously, while Houthi leader al-Houthi explicitly tied the campaign to Gaza.
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