Houthis launch drone and missile strikes on Saudi Arabia's capital and airports

Following several years of relative peace in the Middle East, military operations have once again escalated to their peak. According to an urgent report by the influential Reuters news agency, Yemen's Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) announced that it has carried out missile and strike unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) attacks on two major strategically important airports and military facilities in Saudi Arabia.

This attack has sharply heightened security concerns in the region and poses risks that could seriously impact civil aviation traffic.

Targets of the attack: Capital Riyadh and southern regions

According to the report, the Houthis simultaneously carried out a large-scale attack operation in several directions:

• Drone strike on the capital's airport: Representatives of the movement stated that strike drones were used to attack King Khalid International Airport, the country's main gateway located in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh;

• Ballistic missiles and airbase: At the same time, it was reported that Saudi Arabia's southern Abha International Airport and an important military airbase located in Khamis Mushait were targeted, with ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones launched towards them.

4-year silence broken: Why did the flames of war ignite again?

This sharp escalation in the region did not happen suddenly — following four years of truce and relative calm, the military confrontation in Yemen has reignited since mid-July:

• Control along the Red Sea coast: In recent months, Ansar Allah forces took full control of cities near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, an important geostrategic area, and the entire western coastline of the Red Sea;

• Operation to liberate Sana'a: The escalation was further fueled by the internationally recognized Yemeni government, supported by Saudi Arabia, officially announcing the launch of a large-scale military operation on Sunday to retake the city of Sana'a from the Houthis.

The retaliatory attack by the Houthis on Saudi airports demonstrates that the war in Yemen has entered a new and dangerous phase of escalation not only within the country, but across the entire Arabian Peninsula. Currently, the Saudi side is preparing an official statement regarding the operation of air defense systems and the damage inflicted.