Houthis Announce New Attacks on Saudi Airport and Air Base

New Delhi, October 26: Houthi rebels on Monday announced that they had again targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, along with several significant military sites in Saudi Arabia, which they described as 'precise' strikes.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarie said through a post on X that a ballistic missile had struck the airport. Alongside, he claimed that drones had hit crude oil pumping stations in the eastern and western parts of the country.

His subsequent statement said Yemeni armed forces had carried out two separate operations using multiple ballistic missiles. The targets, he said, were Saudi military units and weapons depots located in the Salah al-Din area of Aden Governorate and the Al-Wahat area of Lahij Governorate. The Houthis asserted that the attacks achieved direct hits, inflicting heavy losses, destroying several vehicles, and burning down ammunition storage facilities.

The timing of the claims is notable. Only hours earlier, Saudi forces had said they intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired from Houthi-controlled territory toward Riyadh. The Saudi-led coalition, which is engaged in the Yemen conflict, responded by saying it had attacked two missile launch sites in Sanaa.

On Sunday, the Houthis had claimed strikes on the King Khalid International Airport, King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait, and a naval base in Jazan. The group also charged that the coalition had launched at least 56 airstrikes across Yemen in 24 hours, affecting Hodeidah, Lahij, Amran, Saada, Al-Jawf, Taiz, and Ibb provinces.

Indian citizens have been among the casualties of the Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia. So far, two Indians have died. One was killed during the Riyadh Airport attack between October 10 and 11. Another died during the October 21 attack on Dammam Airport, which also left two other Indians injured. One more Indian was injured after drone debris fell at the Shaybah oil field.