HOUTHI STRIKES ON SAUDI AIRPORTS KILL THREE, INJURE DOZENS
Houthi attacks on two Saudi Arabian international airports killed three foreign nationals and injured dozens on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the kingdom's General Authority of Civil Aviation. The authority said Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport, in the capital Riyadh, were both targeted. At Abha, two women were killed, with one report identifying them as Egyptian and Algerian nationals and another as Moroccan and Algerian, and up to 28 people were injured there. A Sudanese national was killed at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, where eight people were injured, including five Saudi nationals, according to the authority. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks, including a ballistic missile strike on the Riyadh airport. The civil aviation authority said it is coordinating with security agencies to assess the damage and ensure the safety of passengers and staff.
The strikes come amid escalating conflict between Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and Houthi forces, which control territory bordering the Bab al-Mandeb strait linking the Arabian and Red Seas. Saudi-backed Yemeni forces launched a counter-offensive last week to retake Red Sea coastal territory captured by the Houthis, with the Yemeni government saying its wider aim is to reclaim all territory lost over 12 years of war. The United Nations said more than 200,000 people have already been displaced by the fighting. A Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a suspected Houthi ballistic missile aimed at the Riyadh airport on 18 September, and an explosion was heard near the airport the following day, with smoke seen rising from a fuel storage area there.
Pakistan and Turkey have agreed to activate the Mecca Pact, a joint defence agreement sealed with Saudi Arabia in August, with Turkey said to be sending troops and air defence systems to the kingdom and Pakistan confirming it is also deploying troops. The United States embassy in Riyadh issued a further security alert urging American citizens to exercise heightened vigilance. Fighting continues along Yemen's Red Sea coastline and around the city of Taiz, with battle lines described as fluid.