Pakistan condemns Houthi attempt to target Saudi airport

As many as 12 people were injured at the airport by shrapnel from a drone intercepted by air defences

Pakistan on Wednesday strongly condemned the drone attack launched by the Houthis to target Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia, which caused several injuries, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthi group said that 12 people were injured at the airport by shrapnel from a drone intercepted by air defences.

"Air traffic operations returned to normal after standard safety procedures were carried out," the coalition said.

The injured included travellers and workers of various nationalities, it said in two statements carried by state media.

Read more: Intercepted drone shrapnel injures 12 at Saudi Abha airport

"Such attacks not only violate international law but also threaten peace and security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the region. Pakistan calls for an immediate cessation of these attacks," the FO spokesperson said in the statement.

"Pakistan reaffirms its full support and solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any threats to its security and territorial integrity. We wish a speedy recovery to those injured," he added.

The coalition has been fighting the Houthis since early 2015, after the group ousted Yemen's internationally recognised government from power in the capital Sanaa.

Also read: Houthi ballistic 'missile launchpad destroyed' in Yemen

The Houthis often target Abha airport, which lies close to the Yemeni border in Saudi Arabia's south, and other parts of the country with drones and missiles. Most are intercepted but a few people have been killed and several injured.

The coalition regularly carries out airstrikes on what it says are Houthi military targets in Yemen.

The United Arab Emirates, a coalition member, twice in January said its forces destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile launch area in Yemen, after unprecedented drone and missile attacks on the UAE this year claimed by the Houthis.