US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken strongly condemned the Houthis' targeting of a civilian airport in the city of Abha (southwest of Saudi Arabia), which resulted in the injury of 8 civilians and damage to a commercial airliner.

Blinken pointed out that Saudi Arabia has been subjected to more than 240 attacks by the Houthis since the beginning of the year, stressing that these attacks endanger the Saudi people, along with more than 70,000 Americans residing in the kingdom.

He added that the Houthis have intensified their attacks inside Yemen in recent weeks, especially their attack on Marib, which in turn is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the country.

The United States Mission in Riyadh also condemned the attack, saying in a statement that this "horrific" attack had threatened lives, infrastructure, and prospects for peace and stability in Yemen.

The mission affirmed Washington's commitment to helping Saudi Arabia defend its people and lands, calling on the Yemeni Houthi group to stop violence and help end the conflict in its country.

counterattack

In turn, the leadership of the Saudi-led military coalition announced the destruction of a mobile platform used by the Houthis to launch explosive-laden drones from Sanaa.

The coalition command said that the platform was used in two attempts to target Abha International Airport, and that the targeting operation was carried out while preparing for a hostile operation with a booby-trapped drone.

Saudi TV had reported that the coalition leadership had intercepted and shot down a second booby-trapped plane that tried to attack Abha International Airport.

The coalition said that preliminary information indicates that 8 casualties and damage to a civilian aircraft at the airport, describing the attempted attack as a war crime.

In separate statements, Egypt, the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain condemned the Houthis' targeting of Abha airport.

The Houthis used to launch ballistic missiles and booby-trapped drones at Saudi areas, in return for repeated declarations by the coalition to thwart these attacks.

For nearly 7 years, Yemen has been witnessing a war that has killed more than 233,000 people, and 80% of its population - who number about 30 million people - has become dependent on aid, in the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, according to the United Nations.