Yemen’s armed forces have escalated retaliation against Saudi Arabia under their declared principle of “airport for airport” in response to Saudi airstrikes. Tasnim News Agency, citing regional reports on Saturday, said air traffic at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport was temporarily suspended after a Yemeni missile attack, with operations also disrupted at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah.
Four Saudi airports affected
Reports indicated disruptions at the Jeddah, Riyadh, Al-Ahsa and Dammam airports. Yemen’s Al-Masirah channel reported that flights had stopped at the Riyadh, Dammam and Abha airports. According to Tasnim, a large column of black smoke was seen rising from the Shedgum gas facility in Al-Ahsa province after an early-morning attack, though the full extent of the damage was not established.
The Yemen-based Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center renewed its request for airlines worldwide to suspend flights to Saudi Arabia. Armed forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said humanitarian flights from Riyadh’s airport could be authorized if coordinated with Yemen.
Read More: Sanaa Warns Saudi Arabia of Multiple Options in Escalation
Heavy fighting around Bab al-Mandab
According to The New Arab, clashes around the Bab al-Mandab strait killed at least 63 people in 24 hours, including 35 Saudi-backed government troops and 28 Ansarullah fighters. Saree said Yemeni forces drove back “Saudi-aligned troop concentrations” attempting to advance from the direction of Lahj towards Bab al-Mandab. The New Arab said more than 200,000 Yemenis have been displaced since July, citing UN data.
Sources: Tasnim News Agency, The New Arab, Saba News Agency
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