Saudi-led coalition destroys 82 Houthi targets across Yemen

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Strikes target missile facilities, military positions after deadly attacks on Riyadh, Abha airports

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi militia has destroyed 82 military targets across four Yemeni provinces in retaliation for recent drone and ballistic-missile attacks on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia that killed three people and injured 36 others.

Coalition spokesman Major-General Turki Al-Maliki said Thursday that the “comprehensive operation” targeted Houthi military positions in Saada, Al-Hudaydah, Al-Jawf and Marib, warning that attacks on civilians and civilian facilities “will not go unpunished.”

According to Al-Maliki, the coalition operation targeted a range of Houthi military assets, including 11 mountain-based ballistic missile storage facilities in Saada.

The strikes also hit command-and-control centres, communications systems, missile and weapons depots, headquarters and gathering sites used by Houthi forces.

The coalition said the operation was launched after attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport in the southwestern Asir region of Saudi Arabia.

There was no immediate comment from the Houthis following the coalition’s announcement. The Houthis had earlier claimed responsibility for the airport attacks, saying they used drones and ballistic missiles.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said three people were killed and 36 others injured in attacks on Abha and King Khalid international airports on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Two women, one Moroccan and one Algerian, were killed in the attack on Abha airport, where 28 people were injured. A Sudanese man was killed and eight others were injured in the attack on King Khalid airport in Riyadh.

The coalition also said it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh on Wednesday.

Al-Maliki said the missile launch platform used in that attack was subsequently destroyed in Sanaa while Houthi militants were preparing it for an imminent attack against Saudi Arabia.

The coalition had also reported intercepting and destroying another ballistic missile launched toward Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

The latest strikes mark a sharp escalation in Yemen’s conflict, which had entered a prolonged period of relative calm following a UN-backed truce that took effect in April 2022.

The renewed fighting intensified after Saudi Arabia and allied Yemeni government forces launched a major ground and air offensive to retake territory seized by the Houthis along Yemen’s western Red Sea coast and near the Bab Al-Mandab Strait.

Fighting has centred on areas including Dhubab and around the strategic port of Mokha, while Houthi forces have sought to retain positions overlooking Bab Al-Mandab.

The maritime chokepoint is considered critical to international trade, with about 12% of global trade passing through the waterway.

The broader escalation in Yemen began in July after the period of relative calm, as Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces sought to reverse Houthi territorial gains.

The renewed confrontation has heightened concerns over attacks on vital energy and shipping infrastructure. Riyadh has been targeted repeatedly in recent days, while oil and military assets have also come under attack.

New protective fencing has been erected around fuel tanks and other equipment belonging to Saudi Aramco near King Khalid airport as authorities seek to strengthen protection around critical energy infrastructure.

The Institute for the Study of War has assessed that the Houthis appear to view attacks on civilian infrastructure, including airports and oil facilities, as a way to increase Saudi Arabia’s economic costs and pressure Riyadh into meeting their demands.

Tensions have also spread beyond Yemen. A tanker off Qatar’s northern coast reported being struck by multiple projectiles on Thursday, while Iran and Oman agreed on coordinates for designated safe transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz.

The agreement represented a step forward but did not guarantee unrestricted passage for commercial shipping. The uncertainty continued to weigh on oil markets, with Brent crude hovering just above $100 a barrel.

The Saudi-led coalition has pledged to continue providing operational support to Yemen’s internationally recognized government as it seeks to reverse Houthi territorial advances.

In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency on October 4, Al-Maliki said coalition forces would continue supporting Yemeni government forces.

He also described the Houthi threat to shipping in the southern Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab as a threat to regional and international security.

The coalition’s latest operation underscores the widening military confrontation, with Saudi forces seeking to protect population centres and critical infrastructure while helping Yemeni government forces regain territory from the Houthis.

The intensified fighting has also taken a heavy humanitarian toll. The Associated Press reported that nearly 1,000 people have been killed and more than 200,000 displaced in the latest escalation.

The World Health Organization has warned of rising cholera and malnutrition cases, along with shortages of medical supplies at some hospitals.

The conflict dates back to 2014, when Houthi forces seized Sanaa and large parts of Yemen. Saudi Arabia led a coalition that intervened in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.

A UN-backed truce that began in April 2022 brought a prolonged period of relative calm, but renewed territorial advances and fighting have now revived the war on a major scale.

The latest exchange of strikes highlights the widening confrontation between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis, with the conflict increasingly threatening civilian centres, energy infrastructure and major international shipping routes.

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