Parked Saudi airliner badly damaged after Houthi drone attack

As the conflict continues over Yemen, a Houthi attack drone punched a hole in the side of a parked Saudi airliner at the beginning of the month. Luckily the plane was still parked with no one inside, resulting in zero injuries in what seems to be an intimidation attack.

The plane was parked at the previously attacked Abha regional airport when four drones reportedly made their way to the airport. One of the drones targeted the plane, punching a fairly large hole in the side of it.

The news of the attack was shared by state media showing off the damaged aircraft, which is only three years old, being built in 2017. The Saudi-led military coalition then tracked and destroyed the four-armed drones owned by the Iran-backed Houthi movement.

The first drone was reportedly intercepted early Sunday morning, with the other three being intercepted later on in the day. Colonel Turki al-Malki said the drones were targeting “civilians and civilian objects,” making it even more important for them to be stopped.

Last September, the Houthi movement reportedly targeted Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport and sensitive military targets with drones. The attack forced the airport to close for a few hours and took out military positions and a few sensitive targets.

Yemen

The Saudi-led military brutally took over Yemen in 2015. Many hospitals and infrastructure have been destroyed, leaving the people with no support and nowhere safe to go ever since Houthi forces and anti-Houthi forces have been fighting to control the country.

In 2019, the United Nations reported an estimated 24 million people, or 85% of the population, in need of humanitarian assistance. Last year the country was placed in the Fragile State Index, the second-worst in the Global Hunger Index, with the only country surpassing it being the Central African Republic. Sadly, the country has the lowest Human Development Index out of all non-African countries.

Photo: JACDEC