Houthis claim drone strikes on Dammam airport and Jizan military sites as US warns its staff over Saudi airport threat
Yemen's Houthi movement says it launched drones at Saudi Arabia's Dammam airport and military sites in Jizan over 48 hours, while the US Mission warned Americans of possible attacks on airports, airspace closures and flight disruption.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement claimed on Monday that it had launched drone attacks against Saudi Arabia's King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and military targets in the south-western city of Jizan, in the latest escalation of its campaign against Saudi aviation and infrastructure.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had targeted Dammam airport in two phases with two drones over the previous 48 hours, claiming the operation disrupted air traffic at the airport. He said a drone had also struck an early-warning radar installation in Jizan, scoring what he called a direct hit, and that another drone operation targeted a military transport aircraft at Jizan airport.
The claims could not be independently verified, and Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the reported attacks on Dammam or Jizan. The Houthi statement gave no further detail about the drones used or whether they had reached their intended targets.
Separately, the Saudi-led coalition said on Monday that its air defences had intercepted and destroyed two drones over the Riyadh region, and a ballistic missile launched towards the kingdom's south. Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki confirmed the interceptions near Riyadh without attributing direct responsibility.
Saudi civil defence later announced that the security threat had passed following early-warning alerts issued in several southern areas, including Khamis Mushait, Abha, Taif and Najran, where residents had been warned to stay alert.
The claims coincided with a fresh security alert from the US Mission to Saudi Arabia, issued on 2 November, warning American citizens about potential attacks on airports, airspace closures, flight cancellations and travel disruptions. The advisory said the Houthi movement had targeted civilian airports and other critical infrastructure, resulting in casualties and travel disruption.
In a tightening of its own rules, the US Mission said American government employees in the kingdom now require special authorisation from the Chief of Mission before using any airport in Saudi Arabia, following recent missile and drone attacks. Americans were urged to exercise extreme caution at airports and to check flight information directly with airlines and airport authorities before travelling.
The episode follows weeks of escalating cross-border attacks. Days earlier, a separate strike on Dammam airport resulted in two deaths and eight injuries, according to regional reporting, underlining why airports have become a focal point of the confrontation.
The attacks form part of a wider regional conflict. The Houthis have repeatedly targeted Saudi critical infrastructure as part of a campaign to press Riyadh to halt military operations against them and to accept their demands, which include lifting Saudi controls on Houthi-held ports and airports and granting the group control over Yemen's oil and gas resources.
The security worries also rippled into financial markets on Tuesday. Gulf bourses were mixed in early trade as news of continuing talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia was offset by escalation fears in the eight-month US-Israeli war on Iran, with Saudi Arabia's benchmark index slipping 0.2 per cent and Qatar's index down 1 per cent, while Dubai's main index rose 0.6 per cent.
Regional officials have been urging caution. At the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash warned that US and Iranian positions remained far apart and that failure to bridge them meant fearing the worst, a mood that captures the anxiety across Gulf capitals.
What happens next is uncertain. The Houthis have shown they can keep up pressure on Saudi aviation even as diplomacy continues elsewhere, and travellers, airlines and governments across the Gulf will be watching whether the latest claims are followed by further attacks or by a pause as mediation efforts continue.
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