Saudi-led coalition announces large-scale operation against Houthis in Yemen, says 136 military targets destroyed

Yemeni government forces said Saturday they had thwarted a Houthi attack north of Dhubab Airport near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in southwestern Yemen.

In a statement on X, the Giants Brigades said they also inflicted heavy losses on the Houthis in personnel and equipment, without providing further details.

The repelling of the attack coincided with the Saudi-led coalition’s airstrikes targeting Houthi reinforcements, according to the statement. The Houthis did not immediately comment on the statement.

On Friday night, the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government announced that it was conducting a large-scale military operation against Houthi forces, saying it had destroyed 136 military targets in Houthi-controlled areas.

On US social media company X, coalition spokesman Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki said the operation was targeting Houthi fighters and military capabilities. The coalition said it was providing round-the-clock air support to Yemeni government forces as part of the ongoing offensive.

Al-Maliki said coalition forces were also working to dismantle and destroy the Houthis’ ballistic missile network.

The announcement came as Yemeni government forces intensified their offensive under Operation “Dawn of Yemen.”

Riyadh airport resumes normal operations after Houthi attacks: Media

Passenger and air traffic at King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital returned to normal on Friday after two attacks by Yemen’s Houthis killed three Saudi citizens and injured others, Saudi state media reported.

State-run Alekhbariya TV said passenger movement at the airport is “flowing smoothly,” with operational services resumed and air traffic back to normal.

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The broadcaster said the rapid restoration of flights reflected the readiness of the airport’s infrastructure and the flexibility of Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation system in dealing with exceptional circumstances and containing their effect, while prioritising the safety of passengers and staff.

It noted that the attack on the airport was not the first this week, with the country facing Houthi attacks targeting civilian airports since Tuesday.

Trump ‘not happy’ with Houthi attacks on Saudi airports

US President Donald Trump denounced Houthi attacks on two airports in Saudi Arabia that killed three people and injured 36 others.

Asked about the attacks, Trump told reporters at the White House: “Not good. It’s not a good thing. I’m not happy about it.”

Trump’s comments come after a fresh wave of Houthi cross-border strikes.

Three killed in two attacks on airport

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said that three citizens were killed and others injured in two attacks on Thursday that targeted facilities at the airport and a Saudi Arabian Airlines aircraft.

It said one attack targeted airport facilities, while the second struck a Saudi Airlines aircraft. The attacks injured a number of citizens and residents of different nationalities, it said.

Read More: US voices concern over Houthi escalation, condemns attacks on Saudi Arabia

The injuries ranged from minor to serious, and the wounded were taken to hospitals for treatment. It also reported property damage from the attacks, without specifying the extent.

The agency did not identify the party responsible for the attacks, but the Houthis said on Thursday that they had launched ballistic and cruise missile attacks targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Najran Airport in the south, and an air base in Khamis Mushait in the southwest.