Two people have been killed and eight others injured in an attack on Dammam airport in eastern Saudi Arabia, the country’s civil aviation authority has confirmed, amid a growing wave of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The authority said on Thursday that a Saudi national and an Indian man were among those killed in the attack, which occurred late on Wednesday. The updated casualty figure revised an earlier report, while officials continued to assess the damage to the airport.
The latest incident came as the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis announced that it had intercepted and destroyed a drone in the Riyadh region on Thursday.
Houthi attacks targeting Saudi oil facilities and civilian infrastructure have intensified in recent weeks, reportedly reaching unprecedented levels. The escalation has forced authorities in Riyadh to shut down the country’s main airport and postpone a major investment conference.
An AFP tally of official figures showed that 22 people had been killed in attacks on Saudi airports this month.
Beyond the attacks on land, the Houthis’ maritime blockade in the Red Sea is threatening oil shipments from Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude oil exporter, raising concerns over the security of regional energy supplies.
The renewed hostilities followed the breakdown in July of a truce that had held for years during Yemen’s civil war. The conflict pits the Iran-backed Houthis against the Yemeni government, which is supported by a Saudi-led military coalition.
Following the collapse of the truce, the Houthis declared a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia and began attacking its ships, territory and oil infrastructure.
The group escalated its campaign in September with a major offensive that saw it capture areas along the Red Sea coast previously controlled by the Yemeni government.
Saudi Arabia has responded with repeated air strikes on Houthi-controlled areas, which include large parts of Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the region.
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