Houthis claim drone, missile strikes on Saudi airport, military airbase
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Riyadh: Saudi Arabia's air defence forces intercepted three drones targeting different parts of the kingdom, as Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for separate missile and drone strikes on an airport and a military airbase in the country's southwest.
Coalition spokesman Turki Al-Maliki said on social media platform X that one drone was destroyed over the Mecca region in western Saudi Arabia. Two others were intercepted, one over the Eastern Province and another while heading towards the southern region.
However, the Houthis claimed they had targeted Abha International Airport and King Khalid Air Base in the Asir region. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said a drone was launched at the airport and a ballistic missile was fired at the airbase in Khamis Mushait. He claimed the drone attack disrupted flight operations and the missile struck its target.
Sarea also reported missile attacks against government forces in Yemen's Lahj and Al-Jawf provinces, claiming several casualties and damage to military vehicles. These claims could not be independently verified.
Separately, a Houthi military source warned that Saudi oil giant Aramco's facilities remained within the group's operational range, cautioning investors about potential security and financial risks.
The escalation comes amid renewed fighting in Yemen, where the conflict began in 2014 after the Houthis seized Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year in support of the internationally recognised government.
With IANS inputs