Yemen's Houthis launch missiles at Saudi Arabia after strikes on Sanaa airport

Yemen's Houthis have announced the launch of missiles targeting Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia on Monday, citing air strikes on Sanaa's airport, which they attribute to the Saudi kingdom, as the catalyst for their actions. Following these missile launches, the Saudi-led coalition, which supports Yemen's internationally-recognized government, reported that its air defenses successfully intercepted the missiles, with no casualties reported.

The Houthis, who govern northwestern Yemen and receive backing from Iran, previously accused Saudi Arabia of "blatant aggression," claiming that the Saudi strikes had hit the runway of Sanaa's airport. The Yemeni government took responsibility for the air strikes, stating that they aimed to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing.

This incident marks a significant escalation in the long-standing conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, which had been relatively quiet since an informal truce was established four years ago. Yemen has been ravaged by a civil war that began in 2014 when the Houthis ousted the government from Sanaa. The situation intensified in 2015 when the Saudi-led coalition intervened to restore the government.

The ongoing fighting has reportedly resulted in over 150,000 fatalities and has triggered one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, with more than 22 million people requiring assistance, according to the United Nations. On Monday afternoon, social media footage captured smoke billowing above Sanaa's rooftops following the strikes on the international airport. The Houthis' al-Masirah TV reported that the "departure and landing runways" were the targets of the attack.

The Yemeni government, based in the southern port city of Aden, stated that its forces conducted the strikes amid a dispute regarding a plane carrying a Houthi delegation returning from Iran after the funeral of the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Yemeni defense ministry claimed, "The terrorist Houthi militias, backed by the Iranian regime, prevented Yemeni national aircraft from landing at the airport in the capital, Sanaa, while insisting on allowing an Iranian plane to violate Yemeni territory; consequently, the airport runway was targeted."

According to the Houthis, the Iranian plane was forced to divert and eventually landed in the Red Sea city of Hudaydah, approximately 150 km (93 miles) to the southwest. For over a decade, any aircraft entering Yemeni airspace has required clearance from the Saudi-led coalition, which asserts it is acting at the request of the Yemeni government.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree accused Saudi Arabia of orchestrating the strikes on Sanaa, declaring that this action had ended the "de-escalation phase" of their conflict and would not go "unanswered or unpunished." Al-Masirah TV aired footage of a Houthi delegation disembarking from the diverted Iranian plane at Hudaydah airport.

Saudi officials did not comment on the strikes prior to Saree's announcement on Monday evening, in which he stated that the Houthis had launched several ballistic missiles and drones at Abha International Airport "in response to this criminal Saudi aggression." He also cautioned airlines against flying through Saudi airspace "until the blockade on Sanaa International Airport is lifted."

The spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen later posted on X that "air defenses have dealt with ballistic missile threats launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards the Southern Region." During an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in New York, Assistant Secretary General Khaled Khiari expressed concern regarding the strikes, stating, "Yemen and the wider region cannot afford another cycle of escalation. We call on all actors to constructively engage in negotiations under UN auspices."

The UK's representative at the UN condemned the "reckless Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, which threaten regional security." Meanwhile, Iran's foreign ministry condemned the attack on Sanaa's airport, labeling it a "clear violation of international law."