In brief
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport in retaliation for a Saudi air strike on the capital’s international airport. The Saudi‑led coalition reported that its air defences intercepted the attacks without casualties. The exchange marks the sharpest flare‑up in the Houthi‑Saudi battle since a truce four years ago and could amplify regional instability amid a brutal civil war that has left millions in desperate need of aid.
Yemen’s Houthis launch missiles at Saudi Arabia after strikes on Sanaa airport
Houthis say they fired missiles at Abha airport in Saudi Arabia Monday in response to an air strike on Sanaa’s airport that they blame on the kingdom.
The Saudi‑led coalition said its air defences intercepted the missiles, reporting no casualties. The Houthis had earlier accused Saudi Arabia of launching a ‘blatant aggression’ on Yemen’s capital, claiming it struck the runways.
The strike was claimed by the internationally recognised Yemeni government, which said it targeted a plane the Houthis were trying to land as a delegation returned from Iran following the funeral of the late supreme leader. The government said the airport runway was struck to block the Iranian aircraft from flying out of Yemen.
Saudi defence officials have not commented on the strikes, but the coalition issued a statement saying that air defences dealt with ballistic missile threats directed at the southern region.
An emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council was held in New York, where Assistant Secretary General Khaled Khiari voiced deep concern over the escalation and urged all actors to engage in constructive negotiations under UN auspices.
The UK’s representative at the UN condemned the reckless Houthi attacks, and Iran’s foreign ministry called the strike on Sanaa’s airport a clear violation of international law.
The conflict, which began in 2014 when the Houthis ousted Yemen’s government from the capital, has escalated into a war that has killed more than 150,000 people and left over 22 million in dire need of assistance, according to the United Nations.
Video footage captured on social media shows smoke rising over Sanaa’s airport after the attacks, with Houthi TV claiming the runways were the target. The facsimile of the diverted Iranian plane at Hudaydah shows the Houthi delegation disembarking upon arrival at the western Yemeni airport.
Until the blockade on Sanaa International Airport lifts, the Houthi command warns airlines not to fly through Saudi airspace.
