Yemen's Houthi Militants Strike Two Saudi Airports

 

 

“DUBAI -- Attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels damaged two airports in southern Saudi Arabia near the border with the war-torn nation, the kingdom said on Tuesday, marking the latest escalation in fighting that threatens global energy markets.

 

The attacks come after the kingdom and its allies in Yemen launched a counteroffensive seeking to retake territory along the Red Sea. The Houthis' presence along the coast and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait threatens to further squeeze regional oil supplies.

 

Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said that King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Airport, a dual-use airport in the Red Sea city of Jazan, and Najran International Airport, were damaged in the strikes. Three people were wounded, the agency said.

 

Early Wednesday, authorities in Aden, where Yemen's internationally exiled government has taken refuge in the war, said a Houthi attack targeted the airport there. A security force statement said two missiles from the Houthis "targeted a vital civilian facility and put the lives of passengers, airport workers and flight crews at risk," though no one was wounded.

 

The acceleration in the fighting in Yemen has made the country the most active battlefield in the wider conflict with Iran, with the Iranian-backed Houthis fighting against Saudi Arabia for control of a vital chokepoint in the global energy network.

 

In a military statement late Monday claiming strikes in the area of the Saudi airports, the Houthis again warned "all international airlines using Saudi airspace" to halt their flights, except those over the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

 

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has warned airlines that "recurrent missile and drone attacks, together with the activation of air-defense systems, create an increased risk of misidentification of civil aircraft." The Houthis have hit aircraft on the ground in their attacks, but haven't shot down a commercial airliner in flight.

 

"These attacks keep destabilizing the region, igniting further violence and undermining global energy security," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

 

The Houthis have claimed attacks on Saudi Arabia in recent days, many of which have gone unacknowledged or been denied by Riyadh. Saudi officials put out new warnings to the public on Tuesday that filming and sharing images of drone and missile attacks, or interceptions could bring legal charges. A Houthi missile attack targeting north of Riyadh early Wednesday separately was intercepted and destroyed, said Maj. Gen.Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen.” [1]

 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is ready to parachute into the area of hostilities. The question is who will pay for it. Merz of Germany doesn’t want to pay.

 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is clashing sharply with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over the massive EU budget. The dispute centers on von der Leyen’s nearly €2 trillion seven-year spending plan (2028–2034), which seeks a 60% boost to fund defense and strategic industries.

 

Merz has aggressively rejected this expansion, declaring that "having no new financial framework is by far the most financially advantageous solution for Germany". As the EU's largest net contributor, Germany is leading a group of fiscal "frugals" demanding deep cuts.

The fundamental disagreements between the two leaders include:

•           Massive Spending Versus Deep Cuts: Von der Leyen insists the EU must bankroll its own independence and defense through expanded budgets. Merz counters that an increase is "simply unaffordable" during domestic budget consolidations, demanding cuts of "several hundred billion euros" across all sectors.

•           Military Contingents and Guarantees: The tension escalates regarding physical deployments. Merz previously pushed back against von der Leyen's remarks that Europe had precise plans to deploy security/postconflict troop contingents to Ukraine, emphasizing that "at least not in Germany" did such plans exist and asserting that the EU is not responsible for military deployments.

•           The Brussels "Machine": Merz is actively trying to pull power away from the European Commission back to national capitals, blocking joint EU borrowing, rejecting plans for thousands of new EU staff positions, and pushing to dismantle what he views as burdensome Brussels bureaucracy.

 

1. World News: Yemen's Houthi Militants Strike Two Saudi Airports. Gambrell, Jon.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 07 Oct 2026: A7.