Attacks on two Saudi airports kill three, injure 36, Saudi aviation authority says

Attacks on two international airports in Saudi Arabia killed three people and injured 36, according to Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation. Al Jazeera, Anadolu Agency and Daily Sabah carried the figures. Al Jazeera and Daily Sabah attribute them to the authority, and Anadolu's report does not describe its sourcing.

At Abha international airport, two people were killed and 28 were injured. The two dead were residents of Saudi Arabia, one Moroccan and one Algerian. At King Khalid international airport in Riyadh, a Sudanese national was killed and eight people were injured.

The authority said it is coordinating with security authorities to assess the damage and keep passengers and workers safe. Al Jazeera quoted its statement as saying it was acting "in full integration and continuous coordination with the relevant security authorities".

According to Al Jazeera, the attacks took place on Tuesday and Wednesday. The two people killed at Abha were women, and five of the eight injured in Riyadh were Saudi citizens. Daily Sabah reported that flights were briefly disrupted, citing Flightradar24.

Al Jazeera reported that on 18 September, Saudi-led coalition forces said they intercepted a suspected Houthi ballistic missile fired toward the Riyadh airport. On 19 September, at least one explosion was heard near the airport, and black smoke rose from a fuel storage area there, according to Al Jazeera. Daily Sabah reported that new fences were put up this week around fuel tanks and equipment of Aramco, the state oil company, near the Riyadh airport.

Houthi forces have seized territory along the Bab al-Mandeb strait and are fighting Saudi-backed forces of Yemen's internationally recognised government. According to Daily Sabah, Saudi Arabia and allied Yemeni forces have launched a ground and air offensive to retake that territory. Officials said on Monday that coalition forces had recaptured several key areas, the outlet reported.

What is disputed

Al Jazeera reports that the authority's statement described the attacks as Houthi attacks. Daily Sabah reports that Saudi authorities did not blame any party and that the attribution comes from the Houthis' own claim.

What each side says

Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said on social media that Houthi forces launched ballistic missiles and drones at King Khalid airport and targeted Abha airport, according to Daily Sabah. Houthi forces also claimed to have hit an air base in Khamis Mushait and military bases in Najran and Asir. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include independent verification of these claims.

Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said coalition forces intercepted a ballistic missile north of Riyadh, according to Daily Sabah. The reports do not establish whether that missile is linked to the Riyadh casualties.

The US embassy in Riyadh urged "all US citizens to exercise heightened vigilance", Al Jazeera reported.

Analysis

The casualty figures rest on a single official source, so independent detail on damage and the weapons involved would strengthen the public record. The open question over whether Saudi authorities formally named the Houthis matters. A formal attribution could shape how Riyadh frames any response. The Institute for the Study of War assessed that the Houthis may see attacks on airports and oil sites as a way to raise economic costs for Saudi Arabia. Further strikes, stronger air defences and a shift in the fighting around Bab al-Mandeb are all possible paths. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not indicate which is more likely.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.