Houthis Tried to Hit Dozens of Saudi Sites, Coalition Says

Between October 7 and 11, Houthi attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport killed 17 people and injured 333, according to Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki. The coalition says the Houthis also tried to hit dozens of Saudi airports, seaports and oil facilities. In Yemen, the government said its prime minister and cabinet survived a Houthi missile attack near the presidential palace in Aden. ^1,2

The reported attacks come as fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces grows fiercer. The Houthis have fired missiles and drones at Saudi targets over the past week, while Saudi Arabia backs forces fighting them in Yemen’s renewed civil war. The coalition says Houthi strikes on Abha airport killed three people and injured 28. It also says its forces destroyed 127 weapons depots and launch sites in Yemen. Meanwhile, the Houthis warned that Saudi airspace and airports were unsafe. ^2,4

The airport deaths and injuries show the conflict’s direct cost for travelers and civilians, while threats to oil facilities and ports raise concerns about Saudi trade and energy links. Saudi Arabia has advanced defenses, but it must protect a huge area and many sites. Analysts say military pressure alone may not defeat the Houthis; a lasting campaign would also need capable ground forces. Riyadh could choose more air strikes, stronger Yemeni government forces, better defenses or renewed talks. ^5,12

Renewed talks would follow a 2022 UN-brokered truce that halted large-scale fighting, though efforts to make it lasting have stalled. The coalition is now demanding that the Houthis stop attacking civilians and civilian facilities. The immediate test is whether the group carries out more strikes after its warning and how Saudi forces respond to the reported attacks. ^2,4