Riyadh [Saudi Arabia], October 8 : Saudi-led coalition forces have claimed that they destroyed 82 military targets belonging to the Houthi militia in Yemen after "attacks" on civilian facilities in Saudi Arabia, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport, the coalition said.
In an official press release on Wednesday, Coalition Forces spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Maliki said the Houthi "attacks" on civilian targets “will not go unpunished”.
https://x.com/CJFCSpox/status/2107937711009181749
“The brutal attacks by the Terrorist Houthi Militia on civilians and civilian objects in the Kingdom, most recently targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport, will not go unpunished,” Al-Maliki said.
“Consequently, the Joint Forces of the Coalition launched a comprehensive operation, destroying a total of (82) legitimate military targets belonging to the Terrorist Houthi Militia across the governorates of (Saada, Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, and Ma’rib),” he added.
According to the coalition, the targets included ballistic missile sites, including 11 mountain-based ballistic missile storage sites in Saada, as well as command and control centres, communication systems, missile and weapons storage sites and gathering locations for Houthi groups.
The coalition also said it destroyed a ballistic missile launch platform in Sanaa that was being prepared for an imminent "attack" against Saudi Arabia.
The strikes on Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport took place separately on October 6 and 7, according to the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). The "attacks" left three people dead and 36 injured.
At Abha Airport, two people were killed and 28 injured, while one person was killed and eight injured in the strike at King Khalid International Airport. GACA said it took the injured to hospitals for medical treatment and that authorities were assessing damage and checking the safety of the facilities.
GCC Secretary-General Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi condemned the Houthi "attacks", describing them as “systematic crimes” targeting civilians and warning that "attacks" on civilian airports and “endangering the lives of travellers, workers and civilians represent a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of international laws and norms”.
The US Mission in Saudi Arabia also urged American citizens to exercise “heightened vigilance” amid Houthi threats against airports and airspace across Saudi Arabia, warning of possible flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruptions.
Meanwhile, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed that the group had carried out missile "attacks" against Saudi and Saudi-backed targets.