Yemen Sanaa Airport Attack: Saudi Arabia Faces Houthi Strike After Airport Attack
Yemen Sanaa Airport Attack: On Monday, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis targeted Saudi Arabia only hours after accusing the kingdom of attacking Sanaa airport.
This is the most significant escalation between them in years and could break a long-standing stalemate.
Yemen Sanaa Airport Attack: Yemen Strikes Houthi Airport Over Iranian Flight; Houthis Retaliate Against Saudi Arabia
Yemen Government claims Airport Strike: The Yemeni government, backed by Saudi Arabia, said it attacked the Houthi-controlled airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing.
This came after officials failed to convince a Houthi delegation, who had gone to Tehran for the late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei's funeral, to fly back on the local airline Yemenia.
In a video statement, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced that their forces had launched a military operation against Abha International Airport using ballistic missiles and drones, framing the strike as a retaliation for Saudi military actions.
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Saudi Arabia Latest News: Houthi Missile Attack on Saudi Arabia Threatens to Shatter Fragile Truce
Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of Attack: Earlier, Saree accused Saudi Arabia of "ending the de-escalation phase" and warned that the attack would not go "unanswered or unpunished".
A spokesman for the Saudi-led group said their air defences stopped the Houthi missiles.
This latest escalation could end a truce that has mostly held since 2022, even though it officially expired.
It comes as tensions rise between the United States and Iran, affecting the Gulf and traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
Sanaa Airport Attack Sparks Fears of Yemen Ceasefire Collapse
Yemen Sanaa Airport Attack: The US condemned the Sanaa airport attack, calling it a "clear violation of international law.
Following the attacks on Sanaa, Yemen's leader, Rashad al-Alimi, said he ordered his forces not to let the conflict grow.
Mohammed al-Basha from the US-based risk advisory firm Basha Report told AFP there is a risk that the 2022 ceasefire could collapse.
He warned that if the back-and-forth attacks don't stop, the April 2022 peace deal could fall apart and the fighting could get much worse.
Houthis Challenge Saudi-Led Air Blockade with Threat to Commercial Flights
Houthi Statement on Sanaa Airport Attack: For over a decade, planes entering Yemeni airspace have needed approval from the Saudi-led coalition, which says it enforces this rule at the government's request.
The Houthis challenged this rule by arranging direct flights from Iran to Sanaa, which angered the government and its supporters.
In his statement, Saree warned airlines not to fly into Saudi airspace until the blockade on Sanaa International Airport is lifted.
Houthis Threaten Airlines as Battle for Yemen’s Airspace Heats Up
Yemen Sanaa Airport Attack: Tensions had been rising for days after the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia earlier this month of attacking an Iranian plane that landed in Sanaa and later left with the delegation.
At that time, the rebels threatened to strike Saudi airports and key assets if Riyadh violated its airspace or attacked again.
Since 2015, when the Saudi-led coalition joined the war to support the government, it has carried out air strikes on Houthi targets.
Saudi Arabia War Latest Update: Saudi Arabia "More Likely" Behind Strike Than Government, Says Security Expert
Andreas Krieg, a lecturer in security at King's College London, said it is "technically possible" for the government to have carried out the strike with planes provided by the UAE, which would have to travel a long distance from the south.
He told AFP that using those non-jet planes would be risky. He also said the government's 1980s.
He also said the government's jets from the 1980s are in poor condition and probably cannot fly far, which makes the Saudis the more likely actors.
Latest Strikes Raise Fears of Renewed Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia, Wider Yemen Conflict
Yemen Sanaa Airport Attack: The latest strikes have raised fears that the Houthis might attack Saudi Arabia again after years of relative calm, and have also sparked concerns about a wider conflict in Yemen.
Earlier in the day, the Yemeni government accused the rebels of stopping an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) plane from leaving Sanaa airport and holding the pilot and co-pilot "hostage".
Hachem Osseiran, ICRC spokesman for the Middle East, told media that all staff and the plane's crew were safe and accounted for.
Houthis vs Yemen Government: A Decade of War and Humanitarian Crisis
The Houthis have been fighting Yemen's government since 2014, in a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands and caused a major humanitarian crisis.
The rebels control Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and most of the north, including major population centres.
The official government controls most of the south.
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