RIYADH: Arab and regional organizations strongly condemned Houthi attacks on two Saudi airports that killed three people and injured dozens, describing the strikes as violations of international law and threats to civilian safety.
The attacks targeted Abha International Airport in Asir province, which borders Yemen, and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said two women, a Moroccan and an Algerian, were killed and 28 people injured in the attack on Abha airport. A Sudanese man was killed and eight people injured in the attack on King Khalid airport.
The injured were immediately transferred to hospitals, the authority said.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Bahrain, Jordan condemn attacks
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry said targeting airports and civilian facilities and endangering the lives of travelers and workers constituted a criminal act and a blatant violation of international law.
It said Saudi Arabia’s security was integral to Bahrain’s security and that of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Jordan described the attacks as a blatant violation of Saudi sovereignty and a threat to its security and stability, as well as a breach of international law and the UN Charter.
Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Fuad Al-Majali affirmed his country’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia and support for measures taken by the Kingdom to protect its security.
Syria, Egypt voice solidarity
Syria and Egypt also condemned the attacks and expressed full solidarity with Saudi Arabia.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry said Damascus supported the Kingdom in confronting threats to its security, territorial integrity and civilian facilities, while wishing those injured a speedy recovery.
“Targeting airports and civilian facilities” was a violation of international law and principles protecting civilians and civilian objects, the ministry said, adding that such attacks threatened the safety of civil aviation.
Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptians Abroad called for an end to the Houthi attacks and for efforts to protect regional security and stability.
“Egypt affirms that the escalation and attacks on the Kingdom’s territory, and the threat they pose to its security and stability, represent a destabilization of the security and stability of the entire region,” the ministry said in a statement.
GCC condemns ‘serious escalation’
GCC Secretary-General Jassim Al-Budaiwi strongly condemned what he described as Houthi “terrorist attacks” targeting Abha and King Khalid airports.
He called the attacks a “serious escalation” and a flagrant violation of international laws and norms.
Al-Budaiwi said GCC countries stood united with Saudi Arabia and expressed full solidarity with the Kingdom against threats to its security, stability and sovereignty.
He also offered condolences to the families of those killed and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Muslim World League denounces attacks
The Muslim World League condemned what it described as the Houthis’ continued attacks against Saudi Arabia.
In a statement issued by its General Secretariat, MWL Secretary-General and Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa described the attacks as acts of terrorism that violate religious values, international law and humanitarian principles.
Al-Issa condemned the targeting of civilians and civilian facilities, describing it as part of a broader pattern of attacks by the militia.
Arab interior ministers condemn attacks
The General Secretariat of the Arab Interior Ministers Council also condemned the attacks, denouncing what it called the Houthis’ continued and repeated targeting of civilians and civilian property in Saudi Arabia.
The latest attacks came amid a sharp escalation in fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces along Yemen’s western Red Sea coast and near the strategic Bab Al-Mandab Strait.
The renewed fighting has followed years of relative calm and has raised wider concerns over threats to civilian infrastructure, energy facilities and vital maritime routes.