Saudi coalition answers airport attacks by striking 82 Houthi targets

Arab News, citing the Saudi Press Agency, reports that the coalition struck 82 targets in Saada, Hodeidah, al-Jawf and Marib. They included 11 ballistic missile depots built into mountains in Saada, command centres, communications systems and weapons stores. The coalition says it also destroyed a missile launcher in Sanaa that was being readied for an attack on Saudi Arabia. Al-Maliki said attacks on civilians would not go unpunished; as of 9 October, independent sources had not verified the damage claims.

Each side's claims need to be read separately. According to Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority, the attacks of 6–7 October killed two people and wounded 28 in Abha, and killed one and wounded eight at Riyadh's King Khalid Airport. Gulf News reports that Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the airport attacks and said drones and ballistic missiles were used. The coalition says one ballistic missile was fired at Riyadh on 7 October and two on the afternoon of 8 October, all intercepted. The Houthi response to the 82-target operation and any casualty claims could not be verified.

For energy, Riyadh is the critical point. Arab News reports that Aramco has put up new protective fencing around fuel tanks near King Khalid Airport. Data cited by AP show about 1,000 people killed and more than 200,000 displaced in the latest escalation. The fighting centres on the port of Mocha and positions overlooking Bab el-Mandeb, a strait that carries about 12% of global trade.