Kuwait furious over blatant Houthi attack on Saudi airport; two killed, many hurt

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 22, (Agencies): Kuwait on Thursday strongly condemned and denounced the blatant attack carried out by the Houthi militia on King Fahd International Airport in the Saudi city of Dammam, which killed two people and injured several others. In a press statement, the Foreign Ministry termed the attack as a flagrant violation of the Kingdom’s sovereignty and a clear breach of international law and international humanitarian law. It underlined that the continued targeting of civilian airports and vital facilities constitutes a serious escalation and a direct threat to the lives of civilians and the safety of air navigation, which necessitates a firm international stance to halt these attacks and bring those responsible to accountability. It reiterated Kuwait’s total solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its full support for all measures the Kingdom is taking to protect its security and stability and to safeguard its sovereignty.

The ministry reaffirmed that the Kingdom’s security is an integral part of the security of Kuwait and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. It further also extended its sincere condolences and deepest sympathies to the Saudi government and people, as well as to the families of the victims, while wishing those injured a speedy recovery. The death toll from a Wednesday attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, eastern saudi Arabia, has risen to two, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation said on Thursday. The two fatalities were a Saudi citizen and an Indian resident, the authority said in a statement on social media X. Eight others sustained injuries and are receiving medical treatment at several hospitals, it said. Airport operations have resumed to normal, as the authority is coordinating with security authorities to assess the damage and take necessary measures to ensure the safety of passengers and the airport staff. King Fahd International Airport was targeted amid a recent escalation in missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Houthi group across saudi Arabia, including strikes on civilian infrastructure.

Meanwhile, earlier, two residents were killed in an attempted drone attack on Saudi energy giant Aramco’s field, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday, while Yemen’s Houthi group denied launching any attacks against Saudi territory during the day. Citing the Saudi Ministry of Energy, the agency said Saudi air defenses intercepted the drone targeting a facility at Aramco’s Shaybah field in the Eastern Province, but the incident caused a fire in a contractor’s vehicle outside the facility without affecting operations. The incident killed two residents, one of Filipino and one of Nepali nationality, and injured two others, one of Pakistani and one of Indian nationality, the ministry added. In a series of statements, the Saudi-led coalition announced it had intercepted and destroyed seven drones launched toward various parts of Saudi Arabia, including four over Medina and the Eastern Province. In another, unrelated development, Iran’s state television reported that seven oil tankers caught fire and were damaged overnight Thursday after being targeted or striking naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz. If verified, it would be the largest single- day number of vessels damaged in the waterway since the start of the Iran war on Feb. 28 when the United States and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran.

Quoting a statement by the Revolutionary Guard’s navy, the Iranian report said that four of the tankers were transferring oil when they were targeted and caught fire. Another three were damaged and immobilized when they hit naval mines. The report didn’t provide details about possible casualties or the flags of the tankers. The report also warned that the Revolutionary Guard may target U.S. bases in the region if the U.S. tried to allow oil tankers to transit through other parts of the strait. The Revolutionary Guard had routinely targeted U.S. bases in Gulf countries during the war. Yemen’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday that rallies and mobilization programs by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels will be considered legitimate military targets and warned residents in Houthi-held areas against taking part. The announcement was shared in a social media post and is considered a major escalation against the Houthis as well as civilians living in areas under their control. Pro-Houthi rallies are regularly staged on Fridays, the Muslim day of prayer. Deliberate attacks on civilians could amount to a war crime. Rallies and what Houthis call “cultural courses” are one of the Iranian-backed group’s main tools for mobilization of supporters and fighters.

The Defense Ministry statement said such gatherings are used by the Houthis to mobilize children for combat. Saudi Arabia’s Civil Aviation Authority said Thursday that the number of people killed in an attack the night before on the King Fahd International Airport has risen to two. The dead are a Saudi citizen and an Indian national who was living in the kingdom, according to a statement. Another eight people suffered injuries in the attack, which occurred late on Wednesday. The Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the airport attack in a statement Thursday posted on Telegram. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree also claimed the Houthis targeted an Aramco facility in Yanbu that ignited a fire, as well as the Saudi Defense Ministry in Riyadh. Saree didn’t provide any evidence for the ministry strike. King Fahd Airport in the country’s east near Bahrain and Qatar has been attacked previously amid a wider wave of Houthi missile and projectile strikes targeting major Saudi airports. India’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday said the strikes on the Saudi airport and the country’s energy infrastructure are “completely unacceptable” and called for their immediate end.