Three Saudi nationals killed in Houthi attacks on Riyadh airport

Three Saudi nationals have been killed in two attacks on the international airport in the capital, Riyadh, the country's civil aviation authority has remarked after Yemen's Houthis stated they targeted the facility.

Key points

• A Saudi-led coalition was formed in 2015 after Arab countries joined forces to stop the Houthis taking over Yemen from the country's internationally recognised administration.
• The Iran-aligned group remarked it had additionally targeted an airport in Najran city near the Saudi border with Yemen, and Khamis Mushait air base further north.
• Two were killed and 28 wounded in an attack at Abha International Airport, the civil aviation body remarked on Wednesday.
• But Yemeni pro-government forces have since remarked they had "secured" the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea.
• The latest casualties follow the deaths of three individuals in Houthi attacks on two Saudi airports on October 6 and 7.

In practice, the attacks additionally resulted in "injuries to a number of Saudi citizens and residents of various nationalities", the General Authority of Civil Aviation stated in an official note on X.

It remarked the first attack on Thursday targeted the airport while the second one struck an aircraft belonging to state carrier Saudia.

One of its pilots was among those killed, the airline remarked in an official note. Air traffic had returned to normal, the civil aviation authority remarked.

Yemen's Houthi group remarked on Thursday it had attacked the airport with two missiles, reports stated.

Meanwhile, the Iran-aligned group remarked it had additionally targeted an airport in Najran city near the Saudi border with Yemen, and Khamis Mushait air base further north. Saudi Arabia has not confirmed these attacks.

Notably, the latest casualties follow the deaths of three individuals in Houthi attacks on two Saudi airports on October 6 and 7.

Two were killed and 28 wounded in an attack at Abha International Airport, the civil aviation body remarked on Wednesday. Another person was killed at King Khalid airport.

Notably, the latest attacks come against the backdrop of mark an escalation in renewed fighting between Yemen's Saudi-backed administration forces and the Houthis. This person control most of the country's north-west.

For context, the Houthi military spokesperson remarked the previous two attacks on Saudi Arabia's airports were in "response to the Saudi aggression against our country" which saw "60 airstrikes and missile attacks in the past 24 hours".

In practice, the group notes it is targeting Saudi Arabia over its backing for administration forces in Yemen's civil war.

After the Houthis seized strategically significant stretches of the Red Sea coast in a rapid offensive, the conflict has worsened in recent weeks.

That included the port of Mokha on the Bab al-Mandab Strait. It is the narrowest point of the Red Sea and a chokepoint for global shipping.

Meanwhile, a Saudi-led coalition was formed in 2015 after Arab countries joined forces to stop the Houthis taking over Yemen from the country's internationally recognised administration.

In practice, a temporary ceasefire was brokered in 2022 after years of air strikes and ground fighting led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of individuals, triggering one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. But the informal ceasefire began to unravel in July.

In practice, the Houthis confirmed a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia and began missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea. They remarked they were retaliating for what they say is a years-long Saudi blockade, and for an air strike on Sanaa airport.

Taken together, the developments around three Saudi nationals killed in Houthi attacks on Riyadh airport point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.