Saudi Arabia says 16 hurt in airport drone attack by Houthis

A drone attack by Houthi militias on Saudi Arabia injured 16 civilians of different nationalities on Monday, the Kingdom’s official news agency reported.

A drone carrying explosives launched from Yemen targeted King Abdullah Airport in the Saudi city of Jizan, it said. As a result of the interception and destruction of the drone carrying explosives, 16 people were injured.

The Saudi-led coalition said the drone was launched from Sanaa’s airport.

Saudi state TV reported three travellers were in critical condition. It aired a short video clip of the aftermath that showed glass shattered across the floor inside the airport. The state-run Ekhbariya news channel later showed travellers moving about within Jizan’s airport and reported that flights were back to operating normally.

Saudi defence forces said the kingdom will take firm measures to protect civilians within the framework of international humanitarian law.

Saudi Arabia said it’s preparing for a large-scale military operation, and the Houthis must bear the consequences of their behaviour targeting civilians. “The Houthis only understand the language of force and the response process is in accordance with international law,” SPA quoted Saudi defence forces in a tweet.

The incident also comes less than two weeks after a similar attempted drone attack and interception resulted in 12 people wounded at an airport in the southern Saudi region of Abha, also near the kingdom’s border with Yemen.