Yemen's Sana Airport was reportedly attacked by Saudi Arabia hours after Houthis warned airlines, travellers and airport workers on Sunday to stay away from Saudi airports. The deadly attack came a day after an attack on Riyadh's international airport killed 12 people and wounded more than 300 others. It was the deadliest such attack in the kingdom in more than a decade and comes amid an escalation of fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces.
"We renew our warning to all airlines, experts, employees, workers and travellers against using Saudi airports and airspace, as they are vulnerable to attack and have become a theatre of operations for our forces, with the exception of the airports in (the holy cities of) Mecca and Medina," the Houthis said in a post on X.
"We urge everyone to take our warnings seriously, and Saudi Arabia bears responsibility for any failed interceptions."
Saudi Arabia escalates attack on Houthis
Saudi Arabia has stepped up its military involvement in Yemen in recent weeks, launching strikes against the Houthis and backing a Yemeni government counteroffensive after the group seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast last month.
According to the latest update, Yemen State media reported attack on Sana Airport; although any confirmation from the Kingdom side is still awaited.
Yemen's Houthi-run foreign ministry said on Sunday that further Saudi military action in Yemen would trigger a stronger response, adding that its actions would be guided by the principle of reciprocity. "Unless the Saudi enemy stops its aggression and interference in Yemen, worse is yet to come, God willing," the ministry said in statements carried by Houthi-run Al Masirah television.
US to join Saudi in attacks against Houthis
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday the United States was considering joining Saudi strikes on the Houthis in the conflict, a spillover from the wider war on Iran that the US and Israel launched in February. The Saudi-led coalition said on Saturday that a projectile had also fallen near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, in the kingdom's Eastern Province. The coalition also reported intercepting a drone in the region on Sunday.
Saturday's attack has forced the temporary closure of King Khalid International Airport but the Saudi energy ministry said a long-planned international energy conference was still going ahead in Riyadh on Sunday.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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