DUBAI: Operations at Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport have returned to normal after a third Houthi attack on Tuesday, news channel Al-Arabiya has reported.
Nine people were injured when the drone hit the facility at 00:35 local time, the reporter added.
The eight injured Saudis and one Indian were taken to a number of hospitals, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.
Their conditions were described as stable, although the severity of the injuries is unknown.
The US “strongly condemned” the strike – the third such attack in less than three weeks.
The U.S. strongly condemns today’s Houthi attack on #Abha Airport in #Saudi Arabia, the third such attack in less than three weeks. These #Iranian-backed Houthi attacks risk the lives of many and injure innocent civilians. We call for an immediate end to these violent actions. pic.twitter.com/0AKnKc6GXn— Morgan Ortagus (@statedeptspox) July 2, 2019
“These attacks are risking the lives of many and injuring innocent civilians,” a State Department spokeswoman said. “We call for an immediate end to these violent actions, which only exacerbate the conflict in Yemen and deepen mistrust.
“We stand firmly with our Saudi partners in defending their borders against these continued threats by the Houthis, who rely on Iranian-made weapons and technology to carry out such attacks.”
Arab Coalition spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki said the fight against Houthis would continue, as they repeatedly violated international law by targeting civilians and civilian structures.
The militants claimed the attack through their own media, the spokesman added.
Tuesday’s attack is the third targeting the airport in the last four weeks, with the previous two taking place on June 23 and 12.
One person was killed in the second attack, and overall there have been 56 people injured.
