Daijiworld Media Network - Sanaa
Sanaa, Oct 11: Yemen’s Houthi group on Sunday renewed its warning to airlines, aviation personnel and travellers against using airports and airspace in Saudi Arabia amid escalating cross-border hostilities.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement posted on X that Saudi airports and airspace, except those serving the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina, remained “exposed to targeting” and constituted an area of operations for the group’s forces.
Saree urged airlines, aviation workers and travellers to take the warning seriously, saying the Houthis would maintain their declared policy of “airport for airport, blockade for blockade, and escalation for escalation” until their objectives were achieved.
The renewed warning came a day after an attack on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh reportedly killed 12 people and injured 309 others, according to the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The airport has been repeatedly targeted amid a sharp escalation in hostilities in recent days, with the Houthis intensifying missile and drone attacks on targets inside Saudi Arabia while the Saudi-led coalition stepped up airstrikes against Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.
Meanwhile, fighting has intensified in southwestern Yemen, particularly near the strategically important Bab al-Mandeb Strait, where Yemeni government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition have been battling Houthi fighters.
Earlier on Sunday, United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg condemned continued Houthi attacks on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, warning that the escalation threatened regional security and further complicated efforts to achieve peace in Yemen.
“These attacks represent a grave escalation,” Grundberg said, adding that they “pose a serious threat to regional security, perpetuate cycles of violence and complicate even more peace efforts for Yemen.”
Grundberg renewed his call on the Houthis to stop the attacks and stressed the need to respect international humanitarian law, including the prohibition on directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects.