Aden (South24 Center)

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia said Tuesday, Aug. 4, that it had launched a drone at what it described as a “sensitive target” inside Najran International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement that the drone struck its target “with precision.” He said the attack came in response to what the group described as repeated incursions by Saudi drones into the airspace over the northern Yemeni governorates of Saada and Hajjah.

The Houthis provided no evidence to support either claim. They did not identify the target inside the airport, specify the type of drone used or say whether the attack caused casualties, damage or disruption to air traffic.

Saudi authorities had not publicly confirmed the attack by the time of publication.

Najran International Airport is a civilian aviation facility serving a Saudi region bordering Yemen. According to the official Saudi Press Agency, the airport handled about 1.7 million passengers and more than 13,000 flights from the beginning of 2025 through the end of the first quarter of 2026. Five airlines connect Najran with Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Cairo and Dubai.

Tuesday’s announcement marked the second reported Houthi attempt to target Najran airport in less than two weeks.

On July 26, Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed an explosive-laden drone heading toward the airport, according to Saudi media citing the Saudi-led coalition.

The coalition said debris from the drone fell in a nearby residential area without causing injuries. It added that the drone had been launched from Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport.

The group did not immediately acknowledge that operation.

The latest announcement also followed a Houthi missile and drone attack on Abha International Airport on July 13. The group said the operation was carried out in response to airstrikes on the runway at Sanaa International Airport aimed at preventing an Iranian aircraft from landing.

The Houthis expanded their campaign on July 20 by announcing what they described as a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia and warning shipping companies against dealing with Saudi ports.

In the following days, the group claimed attacks on Saudi-linked tankers in the Red Sea and on facilities connected to transporting crude oil from Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province to the Red Sea export terminal at Yanbu.

Saudi Arabia confirmed that some Saudi-linked vessels had sustained damage, while other Houthi claims could not be independently verified. The threats prompted some Saudi tankers to avoid Bab al-Mandab and take the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope.

Saudi Arabia responded on July 24 with airstrikes on Houthi military targets in the western Yemeni governorate of Al-Hodeidah. The Saudi-led coalition said the targeted sites were linked to threats against commercial shipping.

The coalition said it had not targeted Al-Hodeidah port and that the ports of Al-Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Salif remained open to commercial traffic. It warned that Saudi Arabia would take further measures if Houthi attacks on its ships and interests continued.

On July 27, the Houthis said they had used several drones to strike “sensitive targets” connected to the supply and transport of Saudi oil from the Eastern Province to Yanbu.

The group again said the operation came in response to what it described as Saudi drone incursions into the airspace over areas under its control.

Saudi Arabia said the same day that its air defenses had intercepted several drones targeting oil facilities in the Eastern Province and Riyadh.

Saudi military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said the drones had entered from Iraqi territory and were launched by Iran-backed armed groups. In response to the attack, Saudi and U.S. aircraft carried out airstrikes on positions belonging to Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, which comprise Iran-aligned Shiite militias.

The United Nations has repeatedly warned that the exchange of attacks could undermine the relative calm that has largely prevailed between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis since 2022.

The U.N. secretary-general has also warned that renewed Houthi attacks on commercial shipping could draw Yemen deeper into the regional conflict and have serious economic, humanitarian and environmental consequences.