Saudi Coalition to Warn Sanaa Civilians as Israel Seeks Strike Role

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been working through US mediators to win Saudi permission for Israeli strikes on the Houthis, while a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition said on Tuesday that civilians would shortly receive a warning to evacuate a site in Sanaa ahead of a "special operation," The Jerusalem Post reported.

The Houthis had already named Saudi energy infrastructure as a target. On Monday, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the group's political bureau, told AFP that he was warning "all employees and workers at Saudi oil facilities and airports to stay away from these sites, as they have become legitimate targets."

Bukhaiti said the Houthi campaign was meant to prove to the crown prince "that he can no longer wage aggression against Yemen from a safe position."

Fire in Saudi Arabia: Houthis strike cities and energy facilities — 73 wounded (Photo: Social media)

Saturday's Houthi strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh has kept the facility shut. Reports differ on the toll. The Jerusalem Post put it at 13 dead and hundreds wounded. VINnews reported at least 12 killed and more than 300 injured.

The Saudi civil aviation authority suspended operations at the airport to "allow for the completion of procedures to ensure the safety and operational readiness of the airport's facilities." A Notice to Airmen issued on Monday showed the airport remaining closed until October 17.

Data from flight tracker Flightradar24 showed aircraft avoiding Riyadh on Monday. Jets still crossed Saudi airspace and landed in Jeddah, on the west coast. Aviation analytics firm Cirium put cancellations across all Saudi airports at 46.4%.

"This level of sustained intense attack on civil aviation is unprecedented," said Mark Zee, founder of the aviation safety group OPSGROUP. "I think this requires us to rethink how we view the current risk picture, and tread very carefully."

A diplomatic source told Haaretz on Monday that Netanyahu's plan would have Israel fight alongside the Saudis and use that cooperation to work toward a future normalization agreement. The source said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who also serves as the kingdom's prime minister, has been reluctant to allow Israeli intervention.