The leader of the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen has warned Saudi Arabia to prepare for a long conflict, as his group intensified its attacks on the kingdom — targeting its airports and military facilities for a third consecutive day.
Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said on Friday that three Saudi nationals were killed and several people of various nationalities were injured in two attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Thursday.
The attacks also caused some property damage, the General Authority of Civil Aviation said on X, and hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed.
This came after Houthi attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday against the King Khalid airport and the Abha International Airport, near the Yemen border, left three people dead and 36 wounded.
The Houthis said Thursday they had carried out a new wave of attacks targeting two civilian airports — Riyadh and Najran Airport near the southern Saudi-Yemen border — and the Royal Saudi Air Force’s King Khalid Air Base.
The group claimed the attacks involved both cruise and ballistic missiles and had caused damage and disrupted air traffic.
Images posted on X and verified by CNN showed smoke rising over Terminal 4 at King Khalid International Airport as well as what appeared to be a damaged Saudi aircraft, while the Associated Press cited a witness as saying several explosions had been heard in Riyadh, including at the airport.
On Thursday, Saudi authorities said the country had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired toward Riyadh and that falling debris had damaged a kindergarten and a medical clinic.