Saudi-led coalition strikes 82 Houthi targets after airport attacks

The Saudi-led coalition said on Thursday that it carried out strikes against 82 Houthi military positions in Yemen after attacks on two Saudi airports left three people dead and 36 others injured.

Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki al-Malki said that the strikes were carried out in response to recent Houthi attacks on civilian facilities in Saudi Arabia, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport.

He warned that attacks on civilian sites in the Kingdom would face a response, describing the Houthi assaults as “brutal attacks” against civilians and civilian infrastructure.

The Houthi movement has repeatedly targeted Saudi Arabia with missiles. The latest attacks on the two airports took place on Tuesday and Wednesday. The coalition said its latest operations covered several areas of Yemen, including Saada, Hodeidah, Al Jawf and Marib.

Among the targets were 11 missile storage facilities located in mountainous areas of Saada, as well as command and control centres, communication networks, weapons and missile depots and locations used by Houthi forces, according to the coalition.

The Saudi-led alliance said the military action was aimed at responding to attacks against civilian targets and countering the Houthi military infrastructure used to carry them out.