At least 2 killed in Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia’s Dammam airport

At least two people were killed and eight others wounded in a late-night attack on Saudi Arabia’s Dammam airport, the civil aviation authority said Thursday, as Houthi strikes from Yemen intensify.

A Saudi and an Indian man were killed in the attack Wednesday, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said in a statement, updating an earlier death toll. Damage to the airport was being assessed, it added.

The authority said the eight injured include one Saudi citizen, two Indian nationals, two Yemenis, two Bangladeshis, and one Nepalese national.

The injuries range from minor to severe, and they are receiving the necessary medical care at several hospitals, it added.

GACA noted that airport operations had resumed and air traffic had returned to normal.

It added that, in coordination with the relevant security authorities, work was continuing to assess the damage and take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of passengers and workers and maintain the security and safety of the kingdom’s civil aviation system.

The authority did not specify the nature of the attack.

The attack comes amid escalating hostilities between Yemen’s Houthi group and the Saudi-led coalition, including attacks targeting Saudi airports and energy facilities. They forced Riyadh to shut its main airport and postpone a major investment conference.

A total of 22 people have been killed in attacks on Saudi airports this month, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

King Fahd International Airport previously came under attack on Oct. 11, prompting damage assessments and safety inspections.

Earlier Wednesday, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said two people were killed and two others injured by falling debris after air defenses intercepted a drone targeting an Aramco facility at the Shaybah oil field in the Eastern Province.

The debris caused a fire in a contractor’s vehicle, but operations at the oil field were unaffected, according to the ministry.

The Saudi-led coalition also announced Wednesday that it intercepted and destroyed five drones launched toward the kingdom, including in the Eastern Province and Medina region.

A Houthi maritime blockade in the Red Sea is also threatening oil shipments from Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest exporter of crude.

The Houthi attacks follow the collapse in July of a yearslong truce in Yemen’s civil war, where the Iran-backed group is fighting the government supported by a Saudi-led coalition.

The Houthis declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began hitting its ships, territory and oil facilities, before launching a major offensive in September in which they seized government-held territory along the Red Sea coast.

In response, the Saudi air force has frequently targeted areas under Houthi control, which includes much of impoverished Yemen.

DAILYSABAH