RIYADH: Airports are meant to be places of reunion and departure, of hurried goodbyes and joyful homecomings. In Riyadh, they have become targets, reported by the Arab News.
The Saudi-led Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said Thursday that Houthi forces have attacked King Khalid International Airport 20 times since the month began. At least 17 people have died and more than 330 have been wounded, according to coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki.
The deadliest strike came on Saturday, during the evening rush, when the terminal was crowded with travelers. Thirteen people were killed. “These brutal terrorist attacks do not merely target the Kingdom’s airports,” Al-Maliki told reporters. He said they threaten the safety of citizens, friends, and pilgrims journeying to the Two Holy Mosques from every corner of the earth.
The violence has not been limited to the capital. Across the Kingdom, including Abha airport, Houthi attacks on airports have killed 19 people and injured 364, Al-Maliki said. “Targeting airports endangers the lives of thousands of civilian travelers,” he warned.
The numbers paint a grim picture of a long and relentless conflict. Since operations began, the Houthis have fired 1,104 missiles and 1,135 drones at the Kingdom, the coalition said.
Al-Maliki accused the Iran-backed group of gaining advanced technology with help from regional parties. He said the militia has hidden weapons in mountain warehouses across Sanaa, Saada, and Amran, using them as launch pads. It is also exploiting civilian infrastructure and Yemen’s own resources to feed its war machine, he added.
The coalition says it has hit back, destroying 127 warehouses in mountainous areas, along with numerous launch pads, in recent days.
Al-Maliki closed with a firm demand. The Houthis, he said, must immediately stop all attacks on civilians and civilian sites, including airports, ports, oil facilities, and infrastructure.
For now, the people of Riyadh wait, and the sky above them is no longer quiet.
