3 Saudi citizens killed in attacks on Riyadh airport
Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority said Friday that three of the Kingdom's nationals were killed in attacks the day before on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport.
"The attacks resulted in the martyrdom of three Saudi citizens," the General Authority of Civil Aviation said, adding the attacks targeted the airport's facilities and a plane belonging to national flag carrier Saudia.
The first attack targeted airport facilities, while the second struck the aircraft, the statement said.
It noted “injuries to a number of citizens and residents of different nationalities. Their injuries ranged from minor to serious.”
It also indicated that operational activities had returned to normal.
The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority says King Khalid International Airport, north of Riyadh, was subjected to two attacks on Thursday in which three Saudi citizens were killed.
Saudi-led coalition destroyed 3 rocket-launch platforms used by Houthis
Colonel Turki al-Maliki, the spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government, says his forces have destroyed three rocket-launch platforms used by the Houthis “to threaten regional security”.
Al-Maliki added that all Houthi attacks on civilians and civilian facilities “will be met with resolve” by the coalition.
On Thursday, Yemeni government forces said they had “neutralised” 1,860 Houthi fighters since launching a large-scale counteroffensive to retake territory under the control of the Iran-backed group.
‘International community has come to realise danger posed by Houthis’: Yemen’s deputy defence minister
Yemen’s Deputy Minister of Defence has told Al Jazeera “that the region and the international community have come to realise the danger posed by [the Houthis]”.
During an interview on Thursday, Major General Samir Al-Sabri said that as battles with the Houthis intensify, the Yemeni forces’ ultimate goal is “a decisive military victory” that will “restore state institutions, which the Houthis seized and overthrew in 2014”.
He added that the military will continue adhering to the rules of engagement and international humanitarian law.
“Any force or person who commits a violation will be held accountable as an individual responsibility, not a collective one, because the directives are clear and explicit about the need to observe the rules of engagement and adhere to the law,” he said.
‘Sanaa remains a direct military target’: Yemen’s deputy defence minister
Yemen’s deputy minister of defence has told Al Jazeera that the capital Sanaa, which is held by the Houthis, is still a military goal.
“Sanaa remains a direct military target, and what separates government forces from starting the battle towards it is the factor of time and crossing the areas near it,” Major-General Samir Al-Sabri said in an interview on Thursday.
“Controlling the Bab al-Mandeb strait and the western coast is crucial, firstly because of their strategic importance, and also because of their connection to global and regional issues.
“However, attention remains focused on Hodeidah, Sanaa, and Saada,” he added.
‘Great momentum’ within our forces: Yemen’s deputy defence minister
Yemen’s Deputy Minister of Defence has told Al Jazeera that despite intense battles with the Houthis, there is “great momentum” within Yemen’s forces.
“We started the battle with great momentum and it continues,” Major General Samir Al-Sabri said in an interview on Thursday (8 October).
“Progress has not stopped, but the fronts are uneven in this regard; some are progressing significantly, some are moving slowly, while other fronts have suffered some setbacks and are still being dealt with,” he added.
Source: Al Jazeera/Asharq Al-Awsat