DHAHRAN: Houthi attacks on Saudi civilian and energy infrastructure killed four people in the Eastern Province on Wednesday, underscoring the growing threat posed by the Iran-backed militia’s widening terror campaign against the Kingdom.
With airports, residential areas and energy facilities increasingly caught up in the escalation, the attacks are bringing the consequences of Yemen’s war into the lives of ordinary Saudis and foreign nationals living and working in the country.
Although the vast majority of Houthi missiles and drones have been intercepted by the Kingdom’s air defenses, several have broken through or have rained debris onto population centers below.
For those who heard Wednesday’s explosions in Dammam, the immediate concern was whether their families were safe, what had been hit and whether further attacks might follow.
“We all stopped talking at the same time,” Dammam resident Reem Al-Dossari, 31, told Arab News. “The windows shook, and for a few seconds we didn’t know what we had heard.”
Al-Dossari was at home with her family when the blasts sounded. She immediately checked on her children before reaching for her phone.
“My son asked me what the sound was, and I didn’t want to give him an answer when I didn’t know myself,” she said. “I just told him to stay with me while I checked the official news.”
Ahmed Al-Harbi, 27, was driving in Dammam when he heard what he described as two loud blasts several seconds apart.
“At first I thought it might be construction or something on the road,” he said. “Then my phone started filling with messages. My family group was asking who had heard it and whether everyone was home.”
He continued driving but called his parents when he reached his destination.
“It was the uncertainty in those first few minutes,” he said. “Everyone had heard something, but nobody wanted to guess what it was before there was confirmation.”
In nearby Alkhobar, Maha Al-Otaibi was at home with her two children when she heard the noise.
“The children noticed my reaction before they understood what was happening,” she said. “My daughter immediately asked if we were safe.”
Al-Otaibi tried to remain calm while checking updates on her phone.
“I didn’t want them watching videos or reading messages that we didn’t know were accurate,” she said. “I told them we would stay together and follow whatever the authorities told us.”
The attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Wednesday evening brought operations to a halt, prompting flight diversions and disruption on the ground.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announced through the Saudi Press Agency that two people had been killed and eight injured.
The airport, the world’s largest by total land area, resumed normal air traffic and operations on Thursday following damage assessments.
“The deceased are a Saudi citizen and a resident of Indian nationality,” GACA said in a social media post.
The eight injured comprised one Saudi citizen, two Indian nationals, two Yemenis, two Bangladeshis and one Nepali national.
“Their injuries range from minor to severe, and they are currently receiving necessary medical care in a number of hospitals,” the authority added.
Prof. Samira Almutairi of Dhahran’s King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals described her relief at surviving the attack with her children in a post on X.
“Praise be to God, who saved me and my children from this vile incident,” she posted in Arabic.
“It was a terrifying experience — one I pray no other Muslim ever has to endure. However, despite the bitterness of the ordeal, the conduct of the security personnel and the airport staff’s conduct was truly a source of pride.
“They stood firm in the face of danger, remaining steadfast at their posts, with their sole focus on helping those in need and reassuring those who were afraid.”
The airport attack followed another deadly incident earlier on Wednesday at Saudi Aramco’s Shaybah oil field in the Eastern Province.
The Saudi energy ministry said a Filipino and a Nepali national were killed and two other people injured by falling debris from a drone intercepted while attempting to hit the facility. Operations at the oil field were unaffected, authorities said.
Shri Vipul, India’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, strongly condemned both attacks, mourning the deaths of Indian nationals at Dammam airport and Shaybah.
“We convey our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, and wish a speedy recovery to those injured,” he told Arab News.
“We in the embassy in Riyadh are in contact with the Saudi authorities and we will provide all possible assistance.
“We also reiterate that the attacks on civilian and critical infrastructure are completely unacceptable and must cease immediately.
“We stand in solidarity with the people and the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in safeguarding its sovereignty and hope that peace and normalcy would return to the region at the earliest.”
The attacks form part of an escalating pattern of strikes against Saudi airports and energy facilities. According to an AFP tally of official figures, attacks on Saudi airports had killed 22 people in October by Thursday, Oct. 22.
On Thursday, the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said five drones had been intercepted and destroyed in the Riyadh and Madinah regions. Four more drones had been shot down over the Eastern Province earlier in the day.
The threat to civilians was demonstrated starkly on Oct. 10, when a Houthi missile struck a passenger terminal at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, killing 13 people and injuring more than 300.
The missile hit a departure area where passengers, including pilgrims travelling to Islam’s holy sites, were waiting to board. All flights were diverted and airport operations suspended.
The victims included Saudi and foreign nationals, among them an American. The initial death toll of 12 rose to 13 after an Indian passenger died of his injuries the following day.
The airport was struck again on Oct. 11, when a projectile hit Terminal 4, causing a fire, killing a Pakistani man and injuring 11 people. Saudi authorities also reported intercepting a cruise missile nearby.
Four attacks on the airport within a week killed at least 18 people. Two strikes preceding the Oct. 10 attack had killed four people and badly damaged a Saudi commercial aircraft parked on the tarmac.
An attack on Abha airport on Oct. 6 killed two people and injured 28, following a missile and drone attack on the same airport in July. In Taif, debris from an intercepted Houthi drone killed one person, injured two and damaged buildings on Sept. 17.
Energy infrastructure has also repeatedly come under attack. A fire broke out at an Aramco complex in Jazan following a Houthi-claimed attack on July 25, while flames were seen at another Aramco facility south of Riyadh after a claimed strike on Oct. 3.
An attack on an Aramco administrative building in Dhahran on Oct. 13 caused a fire but no casualties, according to the Saudi energy ministry.
The escalation follows the collapse in July of years of relative calm in Yemen’s civil war, which had persisted after the 2022 UN-brokered truce between the Iran-backed Houthis and the internationally recognized government, which is supported by Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis have since declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and begun targeting its shipping and infrastructure.
In September, the militia launched an offensive that seized Yemeni government territory along the Red Sea coast.
Coalition forces have mounted a counteroffensive against the militia’s territorial gains. The Houthis, meanwhile, have intensified missile and drone attacks inside Saudi Arabia and warned airlines against using the Kingdom’s airspace.
The combination of territorial advances in Yemen and attacks on Saudi facilities points to a widening confrontation, with consequences for regional transport, energy supplies and civilian safety.
The strategic implications are significant, but the immediate reality is that Houthi attacks are putting civilians, airport workers and foreign nationals at risk. Dammam airport has resumed normal operations, but the wider campaign against the Kingdom’s infrastructure continues.
