Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels launched drone attacks against two airports in Saudi Arabia over the past 48 hours, the group announced today.
Earlier in the day, the Saudi-led military coalition backing the Yemeni government announced that it had intercepted and destroyed two drones in the Riyadh region.
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki stated that forces intercepted and destroyed both unmanned aircraft in the area surrounding the Saudi capital.
Drone strikes on Dammam and Jizan
According to an update from Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, the group carried out two drone attacks targeting the airport in Dammam. Dammam is the capital of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province on the Persian Gulf and serves as a major hub for the kingdom's petroleum and trade infrastructure.
Saree said rebel drones also struck an early warning radar installation in Jizan, located at the south-western tip of the kingdom near the border with Yemen. A transport plane stationed at the local airport in the same region was also targeted in the operation, the spokesman said.
Early warning radar installations are long-range military detection systems designed to identify approaching aircraft and incoming missiles, providing advance alert to defensive missile batteries. Saudi officials did not confirm damage to the radar station or the aircraft.
Yemen conflict and Red Sea shipping routes
The Houthis have held control over Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and large parts of the country for more than a decade. The movement seized the city from the internationally recognized government during the outbreak of the civil war.
In September, the rebels launched a surprise offensive in western Yemen, further consolidating their control over the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait. The narrow waterway links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, connecting Europe and Asia through the Suez Canal and handling vital flows of international trade and maritime container traffic.
Saudi Arabia, an ally of Yemen's internationally recognized government, regularly bombs Houthi positions across Yemen. In response, the Houthis have multiplied their attacks against Saudi territory, increasingly launching drones and missiles across the border.
