A number of Arab states and regional groups on Thursday denounced the targeting by Yemen’s Houthi rebel group of Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport and considered such an attack a “blatant threat” to international peace and security, Anadolu Agency reported.
The condemnations were made in official statements by the foreign ministries of Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Lebanon and Palestine along with statements by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League.
On Wednesday, the Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen said a civilian plane on the tarmac caught fire during the attack but the blaze had been brought under control.
“The UAV air force targeted the airfields of warplanes at Abha International Airport — which is used for military purposes to target the Yemeni people — with four drones,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarie said on Twitter
The Bahraini Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, saying such attacks represent a “grave violation of international humanitarian law.”
The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry said that continuing such attacks endangers security and stability in the region.
The UAE Foreign Ministry considered the targeting of the airport a “dangerous violation and a cowardly act that threatens the lives of civilians and passengers.”
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry described the airport’s targeting as a “terrorist attack,” while the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said it “stands with Saudi Arabia in confronting such terrorist attacks.”
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia in confronting any attack on its sovereignty.
The OIC’s statement said it fully stands with Saudi Arabia in all measures it takes to protect its territories.
The Arab League condemned what it described as a “dangerous escalation.”
The Houthi group regularly announces rocket and drone attacks on Saudi territories, saying they are a reaction to the Saudi-led coalition’s assault on Yemen.