▲ A fire at an Aramco oil facility in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 3 (local time).
Saudi Arabia, which is supporting the Yemeni government forces' offensive to recapture territory from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, is facing fierce counterattacks from the group.
The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation announced in a statement on the afternoon of October 7 (local time) that King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport were attacked on October 6 and 7, respectively, leaving a total of 3 people dead and 36 others injured.
According to the aviation authority, two people—a Moroccan female national and an Algerian female national—were killed in the attack at Abha International Airport.
In addition, 28 people were injured, including Saudi nationals and residents holding Bangladeshi and Filipino nationalities.
The authority added that the injuries ranged from minor to severe.
At King Khalid International Airport, one Sudanese resident was killed.
Eight others were also injured, including five Saudi nationals, two Egyptian residents, and one Pakistani resident.
The authority similarly noted that the injuries ranged from minor to serious.
All the injured were transported to hospitals for treatment, and the two attacks caused some property damage, the aviation authority stated.
The authority said it is cooperating with relevant authorities to assess the extent of the damage and verify facility safety, while taking necessary measures to ensure passenger safety and maintain aviation security and operations.
However, the aviation authority did not mention who carried out the attacks or whether missiles, drones, or other methods were used to inflict the damage.
Earlier, Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree stated via social media that the Houthis had launched ballistic missiles and drones targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, according to AP and AFP reports.
In connection with this, Major General Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis, stated that they had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile over the skies north of Riyadh.
According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, flight operations around King Khalid Airport experienced disruptions for a period of time that day.
After the Yemeni government forces and the Saudi-led coalition declared the "Dawn of Yemen" operation on October 4 to recapture territory controlled by the Houthis and launched a large-scale offensive, the Houthis claimed they subsequently launched consecutive ballistic missile and drone attacks against airports and oil refineries on the Saudi mainland.
On October 5, they claimed to have attacked King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the Aramco refinery in the western coastal city of Rabigh, Abha Airport and the nearby Khamis Mushait air base in the southwest, and military facilities in the Asir, Najran, and Jizan regions, and claimed further attacks on another Saudi airport the following day.
In response, the Saudi government stated on October 6 that attacks on airports in Najran and Jizan injured three people and caused material damage, adding that it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis toward Khamis Mushait.
AP reported that new steel fences have recently been installed around Aramco's fuel tanks and other facilities near the Riyadh airport.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S. think tank, analyzed that the Houthis believe attacking civilian infrastructure such as oil facilities and airports can maximize economic costs for Saudi Arabia and pressure Riyadh into accepting Houthi demands.
Yemeni government forces and the coalition have been conducting a massive ground and air offensive since October 4 to recapture territory seized by the Houthis a month ago along the Red Sea coast and the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
Yemeni military officials stated on October 5 that they had recaptured several key locations around the strait.
However, fierce clashes reportedly continue around key strongholds such as Dhubab and Mocha.
The Houthis are also reportedly continuing their offensive toward Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city, and attacked the international airport in Aden, the provisional capital of the Yemeni government, using ballistic missiles and drones.
As these clashes intensify, the number of displaced people within Yemen is surging.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency, stated that day that internal displacement in Yemen has surged from 76,000 in mid-September to 201,217 within just a few weeks.
IOM Director General Amy Pope urged additional funding as the demand for food and shelter increases, stating that people are fleeing for their lives but failing to find safe places to go.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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