Yemeni rebels’ missile strikes Saudi airport

A MISSILE fired by Yemeni rebels hit a civilian airport in Saudi Arabia yesterday, wounding at least 26 people.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have fired many missiles into Saudi Arabia during the four-year Yemen war but their latest attack was among the most serious.

The missile hit Abha International Airport, 125 miles from the Saudiyemen border, at 2.21am, striking the arrivals hall.

The Houthis said that the attack was in response to the Saudi blockade on Yemen, and they threatened to continue firing at Saudi airports. Col Turki Almalki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen, said it would take “urgent and timely measures to deter this terrorist militia”.

Efforts to end the war in Yemen continue to stumble. A prisoner swap negotiated in talks in Sweden late last year appears to have stalled.