Houthis target Saudi Arabia’s Abha again - report

The airport has become a frequent target by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels over the last month.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
Yemen's Houthi movement forces ride in the back of a vehicle during withdrawal from Saleef port in Hodeidah province, Yemen May 11, 2019. Picture taken May 11, 2019 (photo credit: REUTERS/ABDULJABBAR ZEYAD)
Yemen's Houthi movement forces ride in the back of a vehicle during withdrawal from Saleef port in Hodeidah province, Yemen May 11, 2019. Picture taken May 11, 2019
(photo credit: REUTERS/ABDULJABBAR ZEYAD)
Reports from Arabic media in Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere said that Houthi drones again targeted Abha Airport in southern Saudi Arabia on Tuesday night. The airport has become a frequent target by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels over the last month. It appears that the tensions between the US and Iran have encouraged the Houthis to increase their attacks on the kingdom. The reported incidents come as the US is involved in a Bahrain summit that is supposed to support the Palestinians. Riyadh has supported the conference.

Lebanon24 reported the “renewal” of attacks on Tuesday evening. Awal Online reported the same information while other accounts claimed that planes which landed at the airport had changed course due to the incident. Al-Etejah TV in Iraq reported the attack, saying the Houthis were able to strike with precision against the target. Al-Nujaba, an account linked to pro-Iranian paramilitaries in Iraq and Syria, said that there was a “massive” retaliation by the Houthis using drones or cruise missiles. It said Jizan Airport had also been attacked.
On Sunday, one person was killed and others wounded in an attack at Abha Airport. On June 12, dozens were reported injured in another attack at the airport.
The attacks by the Houthi rebels are designed to undermine Saudi Arabia’s four-year war effort in Yemen and also to show that pro-Iranian groups can strike wherever they want. The Houthis have previously used ballistic missiles against Saudi Arabia, but the massive increase in the use of drones and cruise missiles shows that the Houthis are using advanced technology – likely supplied by Iran – and that they have become a testing ground for Iran’s latest military technology to strike at a US ally.