In brief
The Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, fired ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport after Saudi air forces struck Sanaa’s international airport. Saudi air‑defence intercepted the missiles with no casualties, but the incident has reignited fears of a broader regional war. The attack represents the most significant escalation since a truce four years ago and has prompted condemnation from the United Nations, the UK and Iran. Yemen’s civil war, which has killed over 150,000 people and left millions in need of aid, remains the backdrop to this flare‑up.
The Houthi movement in Yemen said it fired a salvo of ballistic missiles and drones toward Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s southwest, in retaliation for recent Saudi air strikes on Yemen’s capital airport.
Saudi forces reported that air‑defence systems intercepted the missiles, with no casualties. The commander of the Saudi‑led coalition posted on X that “air defences have dealt with ballistic missile threats launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards the Southern Region.”
Houthis accused the Kingdom of “blatant aggression” and claimed the Sanaa strike targeted the runway used by Yemeni government aircraft, while the Iranian‑backed rebels forced an Iranian delegation plane to divert to Hudaydah.
Once a four‑year truce had largely muted fighting, the latest events signal a sharp increase in hostilities. Sanctioned UN officials and international actors have urged restraint and negotiations. Assistant Secretary‑General Khaled Khiari warned that “Yemen and the wider region cannot afford another cycle of escalation.”
The United Kingdom condemned the “reckless Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, which threaten regional security,” while Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the Sanaa airport strike as a “clear violation of international law.”
Yemen’s civil war, sparked in 2014, has left more than 150,000 dead and 22 million people in need of aid, according to the UN.
