At least 19 people have been killed and 364 injured in a series of attacks attributed to Yemen’s Houthi movement against Saudi Arabian airports, according to figures released by the Saudi-led coalition on Thursday.
Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said the attacks had intensified since the beginning of October, targeting major aviation facilities and disrupting air traffic across the kingdom.
Speaking at a news conference broadcast by Saudi Arabia’s Alekhbariya television, al-Maliki said King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh had been targeted in 20 attacks since the start of the month.
According to the coalition, strikes against the airport between October 7 and 11 left 17 people dead and 333 others injured.
The spokesperson also reported that an attack on Abha International Airport, in the southwestern Asir region, killed two people and injured 28 others.
A further three people were wounded in an attack targeting King Abdullah International Airport in Jazan, near the Yemeni border.
Together, the incidents accounted for the coalition’s reported toll of 19 fatalities and 364 injuries.
Al-Maliki said the latest wave of attacks followed an escalation in hostilities involving the Iran-aligned Houthi movement that began in July.
Saudi officials reported that five airports across the kingdom had come under attack since October 5, resulting in casualties, damage to airport facilities and interruptions to flight operations.
The coalition has attributed the strikes to the Houthis, although the figures and responsibility claims were not independently verified in the report.
The attacks come amid an intensifying military confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi movement, raising concerns about the safety of civilian aviation and critical infrastructure in the region.