Saudi Arabia Suspends Najran Airport Operations After Houthis Claim Drone Strike
Houthi attack marks latest escalation as renewed Saudi-Yemen fighting reflects widening regional conflict linked to US-Iran tensions
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Operations at Saudi Arabia's Najran Airport were suspended on Tuesday after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for a drone attack targeting the facility, according to a regional source familiar with the matter, marking another escalation in the renewed hostilities between the two sides.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had "successfully targeted a sensitive target belonging to the Saudi enemy at Najran Airport using a drone."
Saree said the strike was carried out in response to what he described as Saudi Arabia's repeated violations of Yemeni airspace over the Saada and Hajjah governorates using drones.
A regional source told AFP that the airport's main radar was struck in the attack, disrupting operations. The airport's official website listed the status of flights scheduled over the coming days as "unknown," indicating ongoing uncertainty over when normal services might resume.
Saudi authorities had not issued any official statement on the claimed attack as of Tuesday.
Najran Airport, located near the Saudi-Yemeni border, is a small regional airport with a single passenger terminal that handles only a limited number of daily flights.
The incident comes amid a sharp deterioration in security along the Saudi-Yemeni border. Last month, the Houthis announced what they described as a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia, the world's largest crude oil exporter, and have since claimed responsibility for multiple attacks targeting oil tankers and energy infrastructure.
Saudi Arabia has responded with airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen.
The latest exchange marks the most significant fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis since a 2022 truce largely halted years of cross-border attacks.
A Saudi-led military coalition has been fighting the Houthis since 2015 after the group seized Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and forced out the internationally recognized government, triggering a prolonged conflict that has evolved into one of the region's most complex wars.
The renewed confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis also underscores the growing regional spillover from the broader confrontation between the United States and Iran, with multiple Iran-aligned groups across the Middle East increasingly becoming involved in interconnected conflicts.