SANAA/CAIRO, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group claimed Thursday a second ballistic missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh, as the Arab League condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi airports.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement on social media platform X that the group fired a ballistic missile at King Khalid International Airport around midday, claiming it "successfully hit its target," caused damage and disrupted air traffic.
Sarea also urged Saudi oil sector engineers and other employees to avoid areas at oil facilities that the Houthis considered potential "targets," saying the warning covered both previously targeted facilities and other unspecified locations.
The Houthis claimed earlier Thursday another ballistic missile attack on the international airport in Riyadh.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition said in a statement on Thursday that its forces intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh and another missile targeting Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Houthi strikes on Abha International Airport in the kingdom's southwest and King Khalid International Airport on Tuesday and Wednesday killed three people and injured 36, according to the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation.
Also on Thursday, the Arab League and Egypt strongly condemned the Houthi attacks on two international airports in Saudi Arabia, calling for an immediate halt to the attacks.
The escalation has widened as the Houthis intensified missile and drone attacks against Saudi airports, energy facilities and military targets, while Saudi forces stepped up strikes on Houthi-held areas in Yemen.
Heavy fighting continued between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces in Yemen, particularly near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the strategic maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of the north. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, now based in the southern port city of Aden. The renewed fighting marked a major escalation after a UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely halted major hostilities. ■
