Houthi Strikes on Saudi Airports Wound Three as Yemen War Escalates

Saudi Arabia has confirmed that three people were injured after projectiles struck two airports in the kingdom's southwest, an attack the Iran-aligned Houthi movement claimed responsibility for as fighting in neighbouring Yemen intensifies.

The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement on Tuesday that King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz airport in Jazan and Najran airport were both hit on Monday evening. According to the authority, the strikes caused "three minor injuries" along with material damage to the facilities.

The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, said late on Monday that their forces had targeted sites across southern Saudi Arabia, listing airports and military installations among the locations struck. The group has not provided further details on the specific weapons used in the attacks.

Conflicting accounts emerged regarding the severity of the casualties. The Saudi civil aviation authority described the injuries as minor, yet also stated that the wounded suffered injuries of "varying severity" and were transported to hospital for treatment. It did not name the victims or specify their nationalities.

"Specialised teams dealt with the attacks immediately upon their occurrence," the authority said, adding that damage assessments were ongoing and that measures were being taken to safeguard passengers and airport staff.

The attacks drew swift condemnation from Saudi Arabia's regional allies. Jassim al-Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, characterised the targeting of airports and civilian facilities as "a dangerous escalation" and called on the international community to adopt a "firm stance against these attacks."

Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement condemning what it described as the Houthi group's "continued brazen and disgraceful attacks" on Saudi territory, accusing the movement of deliberately targeting civilians and economic infrastructure.

The airport strikes mark a significant expansion of the conflict, which has largely played out inside Yemen since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015. Cross-border attacks on Saudi civilian infrastructure have occurred periodically throughout the war, but Monday's dual strikes on functioning airports underscore the Houthis' continued ability to project force beyond Yemen's borders despite years of military pressure.

The attacks came as the Saudi-led coalition announced a series of retaliatory operations inside Yemen early on Tuesday. According to the official Saudi Press Agency, coalition forces destroyed a ballistic missile launch platform in Sanaa, the capital that the Houthis have controlled since 2014, as well as a storage facility in Saada province housing 20 ballistic missiles.

Those operations followed the launch of a counteroffensive by forces loyal to Yemen's internationally recognised government aimed at retaking territory the Houthis seized last month. Government-aligned forces say they have recaptured the Red Sea port city of Mocha and now control the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait, a chokepoint through which a substantial share of global maritime trade passes.

The Saudi-led coalition has confirmed its direct participation in the offensive, stating that 100 of its fighter jets are providing air support. Saudi naval forces have also begun an operation against Houthi positions in Hodeidah governorate, according to coalition statements.

Fernando Carvajal, a former United Nations Security Council adviser on Yemen, told Al Jazeera that control of Mocha would prove pivotal to the next phase of the fighting. He cautioned that government forces must first demonstrate they can hold the city, which he noted is "surrounded by Houthis from all three sides," before it can serve as a staging ground for further advances.

The broader diplomatic picture has also shifted. Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia announced they would activate "deterrence measures" under a mutual defence pact and rapidly deploy forces to the kingdom to counter Houthi attacks. Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman said in a social media post that the alliance committee had agreed to activate collective deterrence measures "in response to the attacks and all those responsible for them."

The minister added that the alliance had "reaffirmed the solidarity and unity of our countries, in confronting the heinous attacks against the Kingdom, and holy sites."

Carvajal said it remains uncertain what practical military support the three-nation alliance will ultimately furnish. He suggested Pakistan might seek to mediate between the warring parties, though he noted the Houthis would likely be willing to negotiate only with the Saudis directly, a dynamic that would leave Yemen's internationally recognised government sidelined from any talks.

The strikes on Jazan and Najran airports place renewed focus on the vulnerability of civilian infrastructure along Saudi Arabia's southern border, a region that has absorbed repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks over the course of the decade-long conflict. Both airports serve as key transport hubs for the border provinces, and any sustained disruption to their operations would carry economic and humanitarian consequences for the local population.

For the Houthis, the ability to strike multiple targets inside Saudi Arabia simultaneously serves as a demonstration of retained military capability even as they face a multi-front counteroffensive on the ground in Yemen. The group has consistently framed such attacks as retaliation for Saudi-led air campaigns and the broader blockade that has severely constrained Yemen's economy.

With government forces pressing toward Houthi-held territory, Saudi warplanes striking targets in Sanaa and Saada, and new foreign forces preparing to deploy to the kingdom, the conflict appears poised for a further escalation. Whether the renewed diplomatic and military alignment behind Saudi Arabia will translate into decisive battlefield gains — or instead push the Houthis toward the negotiating table — remains an open question that neither Saudi officials nor regional analysts have been able to answer.