Houthi Missiles Hit Saudi Arabia, Breaking 4-Year Truce
Photo: REUTERS
Yemen’s Houthi fired missiles at Saudi Arabia on Monday, accusing the kingdom of bombing Sanaa International Airport and shattering a four-year truce between the Iran-aligned group and Riyadh.
The strike occurred as the government sought to block a flight carrying a Houthi delegation arriving from Tehran. While the Saudi-backed government operates out of Aden, the Iran-aligned Houthis maintain control over the capital, Sanaa, and the port city of Hodeidah.
In a formal statement, the government said, “The Houthi terrorist militia, supported by the Iranian regime, prevented Yemeni national aircraft from landing at the capital’s airport, Sanaa, and insisted that the Iranian aircraft violate Yemeni airspace. Therefore, the airport runway was targeted.”
Prior to the attack, the Defense Ministry issued an urgent evacuation order for civilians, diplomatic missions, and humanitarian workers at the airport. Following the runway’s destruction, Houthi officials confirmed the aircraft eventually landed in Hodeidah.
The group’s transport minister added, “Iranian plane has landed on the homeland’s soil, carrying a number of medical patients and stranded citizens, accompanied by the official delegation of the Republic of Yemen.”
Houthis immediately blamed Saudi Arabia for the aggression, though they offered no evidence for the claim. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree warned, “this aggression will not go unanswered or unpunished.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei condemned the bombing as “a clear violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, as well as an affront to Yemen’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
By Monday evening, the Saudi-led coalition reported that its air defenses had intercepted missiles fired toward the kingdom’s southern region. Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki posted on social media, “Air defences intercepted a ballistic missile threat launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards the southern region.”
Houthis later claimed responsibility for a military operation targeting Abha International Airport with drones and missiles in retaliation for the Sanaa strike.
Saree also issued a stern warning to all commercial airlines, urging them to avoid Saudi airspace until the “blockade” on Sanaa International Airport is officially lifted.
Source: Al Jazeera (adapted)
