Drone attack on Saudi’s Jazan airport injures 10 people

An armed drone attack targeting the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Airport in Jazan late on Friday night left 10 people injured, the Saudi coalition confirmed.

The injured included six Saudi passengers and airport staff, three Bangladeshi airport workers and one Sudanese airport staff.

Brigadier general Turki Al-Malki, official spokesperson of the coalition blamed the attacked on Yemen’s Houthi militia.

“The hostile attempt to attack was executed using a bomb-laden drone, which resulted in 10 injuries among civilian travellers and airport staff,” he said.

“Additionally, the hostile attempt resulted in minor material damage and some broken glass fronts in the airport.”

The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen disseminates an image of debris and parts of the second bomb-laden drone that was intercepted and destroyed by Saudi defenses thus thwarting the attempt to target civilians in King Abdullah Airport in Jazan pic.twitter.com/88Xr2Z8uw5

— SPAENG (@Spa_Eng) October 8, 2021

The deputy governor of Jazan, Prince Muhammad bin Abdulaziz, also visited the hospital to meet those who were injured in the attack.

سمو أمير منطقة جازان بالنيابة يزور المصابين في مستشفى الملك فهد المركزي ومستشفى الأمير محمد بن ناصر بـ #جازان. #واس_عام https://t.co/EJiwx3ejKh pic.twitter.com/7oQdbdYD8P

— واس العام (@SPAregions) October 9, 2021

“The terrorist Houthi militia is continuing its unethical practices through the attempt to target civilians and civilian objects. Targeting a civilian airport could amount to a war crime, due to the deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian objects which are afforded special protection under the customary international humanitarian law,” Al-Malki added.

He stressed that the coalition will “continue to implement all operational procedures to neutralise sources of threats in the cases of self-defence and imminent attacks in a manner that guarantees protection of civilians and civilian objects”.

The attack has been condemned by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab Parliament as well as the US State Department.

“We condemn the outrageous attack by Houthi forces on King Abdullah Airport in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. Our thoughts are with the 10 wounded civilians, who were doing no more than seeking to travel or make a living,” US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Twitter.

Saudi Arabia has seen repeated drone and missile strikes in recent months.

Last week, the Saudi-led coalition intercepted an explosives-laden drone targeting its Abha international airport.

The coalition said falling debris from the drone shattered the glass of some of the windows, injuring four workers at the airport.

Read: Four people injured at Saudi’s Abha airport in latest Yemeni drone attack