Attacks on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh have left 17 people dead and 333 others injured since October 1, with the airport coming under 20 attacks during the two-week period, the Saudi-led coalition said Thursday, as Yemen's Houthi group continues to pose threats to the kingdom.
Speaking at a press conference in Riyadh, coalition spokesman Turki Al-Maliki outlined the coalition's strikes against Houthi military targets inside Yemen while presenting footage of attacks on sites within Saudi Arabia since early October. Video showed the destruction of Houthi missile launch platforms and drones inside Yemen.
According to Al-Maliki, the group had acquired assistance from what he described as "regional parties," and he accused it of using some civilian and energy facilities to support military operations, including providing cover for missiles and drones.
The spokesman said coalition forces had recently destroyed 127 Houthi weapons depots in mountainous areas along with numerous missile launch systems, aiming to degrade the militia's military capabilities.
He called on the Houthis to immediately halt all attacks targeting civilians and civilian areas, including airports, ports, oil installations and other infrastructure.
Saudi Arabia reiterated its support for Yemen's internationally recognized government and armed forces.
In an earlier statement, the coalition said sites in Sanaa, including Al-Sabah central station, underground fuel reserves, storage tanks, and fuel transport and unloading facilities, were being repurposed for military use.
The briefing, the coalition's first since the latest escalation, came as Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia intensified and the coalition stepped up its campaign against the militia in Yemen.
On the same day, the coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed a cruise missile over the Medina region and a drone over Khamis Mushait.
The Houthis rejected the allegation, saying the group had not carried out any attack toward Saudi territory that day.
According to a Houthi statement released on Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition had carried out airstrikes on a telecommunications facility and a school in Yemen's Taiz province that morning.
Saudi authorities have not yet responded to the claim.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the Yemeni government.
17 killed, over 330 injured in attacks on Riyadh airport since Oct 1: Saudi-led coalition
