LONDON: An attack by the Iran-backed Houthi militia that left a civilian plane ablaze at Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport sparked international anger.

The Houthis targeted the airport in the south of the Kingdom causing the plane on the tarmac to catch fire, Al-Ekhbariya reported.

Egypt was among the first countries to condemn the attack.

The country stands with Saudi Arabia in “counteracting these criminal terrorist acts that threaten the security and stability of the Kingdom and the safety of its citizens and residents,” a foreign ministry statement said.

Houthi attacks are a clear and direct threat to regional security and stability, the statement added.

Yemen’s Minister of Information Moammar Al-Eryani said the “cowardly” attack “endangered the lives of thousands of civilian travelers of various nationalities.”

The minister added that the attack constitutes a “full-fledged war crime, and is an extension of the terrorist attacks carried out by the Houthi militia with Iranian weapons and experts that have targeted residential neighborhoods, airports, ports and energy infrastructure.”

He said the attacks re part of Iran’s agenda to destabilize security and stability in the region.

Jordan’s foreign ministry said the attack “targeted civilian facilities and put the lives of innocent civilian travelers at risk.”

The country stands with the Kingdom against such “reoccurring cowardly terrorist acts.”

Bahrain called the attack a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law,” and expressed its support for any measures taken by the Kingdom to confront “these cowardly acts that target civilians.”

In Kuwait, the foreign ministry expressed its condemnation of the Houthi attack.
The ministry said that the continuation of these attacks confirms the danger they pose to the security and stability of the region.

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Wednesday that the United States condemned the attack on the Saudi airport and will continue diplomatic outreach to end the conflict in Yemen.

The US State Department also condemned the attack, the State Department spokesman said, urging the Houthis to halt “aggressive acts.”

“We again urge the Houthis to immediately stop these aggressive acts,” State Department Spokesman Ned Price told reporters. 

The Arab Parliament meanwhile also condemned the Houthi drone attack on the Saudi airport.
Adel bin Abdulrahman Al-Asoum, President of the Arab Parliament, called for an immediate action by the international community to hold the militia and the Iranian regime accountable for such crimes.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Arab league also condemned the attack.