Houthi attacks on Saudi airports kill 3 and wound 36 in major escalation

The war in Yemen reached into Saudi Arabia's civilian airports this week, killing three people and wounding 36.

Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority said Wednesday that Houthi attacks hit Abha International Airport near the Yemeni border on Tuesday and Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on Wednesday. At Abha, two women, one Moroccan and one Algerian resident, were killed and 28 people were wounded, including Saudi citizens and Bangladeshi and Filipino residents. At Riyadh, a Sudanese national was killed and eight others wounded. Two Saudi officials told the Wall Street Journal the Houthis have been using missiles to target the kingdom's airports all week. The Houthis had warned international airlines to stop using Saudi airspace except over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

The US Mission in Saudi Arabia issued a security alert Wednesday warning American citizens of potential drone and missile attacks and cautioning that the conflict could escalate, with possible flight cancellations and airspace closures.

The strikes are part of a sharp escalation. Yemen's Houthis, backed by Iran, fired missiles and drones at Aden International Airport early Wednesday, minutes before a Cairo flight was due to land. They have spent the week claiming attacks across Saudi Arabia, including military sites in Khamis Mushait, Najran and Asir, though Riyadh has confirmed only some of them. Saudi officials warned the public Tuesday that filming or sharing images of drone and missile attacks or interceptions could bring criminal charges. The Houthis seized a wide swath of territory in a recent lightning offensive, tightening their grip on the Bab al-Mandeb strait, while Saudi and Yemeni government forces press a counteroffensive aimed at retaking the port city of Mokha. Saudi oil giant Aramco's facilities south of Riyadh were hit on October 3.

The pattern is shifting: a war that began over the Strait of Hormuz is now being fought at airport departure gates.