SANAA/RIYADH, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Saudi warplanes launched a fresh wave of airstrikes on Houthi-held areas in Yemen on Thursday, hitting Hodeidah International Airport on the Red Sea coast and telecommunications facilities, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported, as cross-border attacks between the two sides intensified.
Telecommunications facilities west of the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, and in the neighboring western province of Raymah were struck by Saudi warplanes, the report said.
Al-Masirah also reported Saudi airstrikes on the city of Yarim in the central province of Ibb, without specifying the targets. Local residents told Xinhua that the strikes hit a military base used by Houthi forces.
Footage circulating on social media showed plumes of smoke rising over Yarim.
There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia or the Saudi-led coalition. Casualties and the extent of damage were not immediately known.
The latest airstrikes came hours after the Houthis claimed a fresh ballistic missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea claimed the missile hit the airport and disrupted air traffic. He also issued what he called a "final warning" to international airlines against operating flights through Saudi airspace.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Thursday that coalition forces had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Riyadh and another ballistic missile targeting Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
The escalating exchange of strikes has unfolded alongside intensified ground fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces, particularly in southwestern Yemen near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Yemen's conflict began in late 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government. The recent hostilities marked a significant escalation since a UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely halted major hostilities. ■
