Yemen’s retaliatory strikes target King Khalid Airport and Saudi-linked forces in several provinces, while repelling an advance in al-Jawf and after inflicting heavy casualties on Saudi mercenaries.

SANA’A -- Yemen’s armed forces on Wednesday struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with ballistic missiles and drones, hitting Saudi military reinforcements near Aden International Airport, and repelling a major Saudi-backed advance in al-Jawf province.

In a statement carried by Al-Masirah television, military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced that Yemeni forces targeted King Khalid Airport in the Saudi capital with a ballistic missile, disrupting air traffic at the facility.

Earlier Wednesday morning, drones had already struck the same airport, with local sources reporting explosions across Riyadh and the suspension of operations at the international hub.

Saree said Yemeni forces also struck Saudi military equipment that had arrived at the Badr barracks near Aden International Airport with ballistic missiles, killing and wounding several Saudi officers.

He issued a direct warning to the enemy: “Do not use Aden’s civilian airport for military purposes.”

In a separate operation, Yemen’s armed forces targeted the al-Dhagharir and al-Mawsim camps in Jizan and the Akifah camp in Asir with a large number of ballistic missiles and drones, with Saree saying the strikes killed and wounded dozens of Saudi military personnel and destroyed ammunition depots.

Yemeni forces also shot down a Saudi CH-4 reconnaissance drone over al-Jawf province.

Saree announced that Yemeni forces successfully repelled Saudi-backed forces attempting to advance toward Yemeni military positions in eastern al-Jawf province.

The gathering point of the Saudi-aligned forces was targeted with several ballistic missiles and drones, and the enemy failed to achieve any advance, with dozens killed and wounded and a number of vehicles destroyed.

The operations extended to Ma’rib province, where Yemeni forces struck Saudi-aligned gatherings east of Raghwan, inflicting casualties and setting military vehicles ablaze.

In Ta’izz province, Yemeni forces continued their advances, with military sources reporting the liberation of over 2,000 square kilometers of territory and the clearing of al-Ma’afir and al-Mawasit districts.

Saree said more than 200 Saudi-aligned mercenaries were killed or wounded in dozens of attacks in Ras al-Ara and al-Suqya, describing the human and equipment losses as “unprecedented compared to all previous confrontations”.

In Ta’izz, Yemeni forces completed the encirclement of the city center, which a military advisor described as “the loss of the last winning card for the Saudi mercenaries in Yemen”.

On the western coast, Yemeni forces reaffirmed full control over their battlefield gains, with Saree dismissing Saudi media claims of advances as “imaginary heroics aimed at pleasing their masters”.

He said the armed forces remain in the best position along the western coast and will continue operations to expel Saudi gatherings.

The Yemeni operations came in response to continued Saudi aggression, with Saree reporting that Saudi warplanes carried out 66 airstrikes and missile attacks across al-Jawf, Ta’izz, Ma’rib, Hudaydah, Hajjah, and Sa’ada in a 24-hour period, targeting civilian areas and killing and wounding more civilians, mostly women and children. The total number of Saudi attacks since the latest escalation began has reached 1,642, Saree said.

Muhammad Abdulsalam, head of Yemen’s national negotiating delegation, held the Saudi regime responsible for the crimes and atrocities against the Yemeni people, saying that targeting civilians only reveals the true nature of the Saudi regime and will result in nothing but increased steadfastness and resistance.

Yemeni armed forces renewed their warning to international airlines to cease flights through Saudi airspace, declaring that Saudi skies—with the exception of the sacred airspace of Mecca and Medina—have become a theater of military operations.

The armed forces said they bear no responsibility for the consequences of ignoring this warning.

The escalation marks the most serious exchange since Saudi Arabia bombed Sana’a’s main airport in July, prompting Yemeni forces to launch missile and drone attacks on the kingdom.

Yemeni forces have vowed to continue attacks on Saudi military and energy sites until Riyadh breaks its decade-long siege on Yemen.