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The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation said attacks targeted the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Jazan and Najran International Airport on Monday evening, leaving three people injured with limited damage to both facilities. A Reuters report detailed how the authority is assessing the extent of the harm while putting in place steps to protect passengers, staff and the overall security of the kingdom’s civil aviation system. The incidents form part of a series of Houthi missile and drone strikes on Saudi targets that have included oil facilities and military positions.
Reuters reported that the attacks unfolded as Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces conducted a major offensive to retake territory lost to the Houthis in recent weeks, with Riyadh increasing its airstrikes to support the push. The Yemeni government forces reached the outskirts of Mocha on the Red Sea coast according to a separate Reuters dispatch published a day earlier, cutting supply routes to Houthi-held areas in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb region. Houthi fighters have since retreated into nearby highlands while launching retaliatory strikes across the border.
The Saudi-led coalition has intercepted numerous missiles and drones launched toward its southern regions in recent months, a pattern documented across multiple Reuters updates on the conflict. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed in statements carried by Reuters that his forces hit Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport along with an Aramco refinery in Rabigh and bases in Khamis Mushait during the latest barrage. Saudi officials have not verified all claimed targets but confirmed the southern airport strikes through the civil aviation authority.
A Reuters overview of the conflict noted that the current escalation follows Houthi advances earlier in 2026 that prompted Saudi Arabia and its allies to deploy additional military assets under a regional defence pact with Turkey and Pakistan. The Iran-aligned group has targeted Saudi infrastructure repeatedly since the truce that took hold in 2022 began to erode, according to the news agency’s reporting on successive incidents. Saudi Arabia first intervened in Yemen in 2015 to back the internationally recognised government after the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa the previous year.
The United Nations has voiced deep concern over the renewed clashes and their potential to disrupt Red Sea shipping lanes, a Reuters article from the same week indicated. Naval operations by the Saudi-led coalition have focused on destroying Houthi weapons depots and booby-trapped vessels along the Hodeidah coast in response to threats against maritime traffic. Officials from both sides continue to trade accusations as ground fighting spreads across multiple Yemeni provinces.
Saudi authorities have maintained that their actions aim to safeguard national territory and support the restoration of Yemen’s legitimate government, statements cited in Reuters coverage of the campaign. The civil aviation authority has not released a full timetable for restoring normal operations at the two affected airports but emphasised that safety protocols remain its top priority. Further updates on the damage assessment and any flight disruptions are expected in coming days.
