Deadly Airport Attack Strikes Saudi Arabia Amid Escalating Houthi Hostilities
Two killed, eight injured at King Fahd International Airport; US and UK issue new travel warnings as regional tensions rise.
Carla Rooney
Two people died and eight were injured in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
The Eastern Province incident, which set a contractor's vehicle ablaze in the Shaybeh oil field, killed residents from the Philippines and Nepal. The Houthis' military spokesman claimed on Wednesday that they targeted military equipment at an airport in the southern Yemeni city of al-Mukalla.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) did not specify the type of attack in Dammam. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement has repeatedly targeted the kingdom's airports with drones and missiles.
The Houthis previously stated they attack Saudi airports, energy facilities, and military bases. They claim these actions retaliate for Saudi air strikes on territory they control in western Yemen.
Saudi authorities claim at least 21 people have died in Houthi attacks on Saudi airports since early October. This includes 13 fatalities and 308 injuries from a missile strike on Riyadh's international airport on 10 October.
Houthi-run media, however, reported at least six people had died and 11 suffered injuries in air and artillery strikes over the previous 24 hours. The Houthi-run health ministry claims 155 civilians have died since Yemen's civil war flared up three months ago.
The US ordered some diplomats and their families to leave Saudi Arabia. The UK Foreign Office updated its travel guidance, advising against all but essential travel to most of Saudi Arabia, and suggested British nationals consider land travel to neighbouring countries due to the heightened threat.
Tommy Pigott stated, "Iranian-supported Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions." The war in Yemen began in 2014 when the Houthis ousted the government from Sanaa, escalating in 2015 after the Saudi-led coalition intervened.
A four-year-old informal ceasefire began to unravel in July, the same month the Houthis announced a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia. Pro-government forces reportedly regained control of territory overlooking Bab al-Mandab earlier this month.
The Pentagon pulls American troops from bases in the region. US officials told NBC and CBS that Washington quietly reduces the size of its Middle East forces due to ongoing threats from the Houthis and Iran.