Houthis fire missiles at Saudi Arabia's Abha airport, ending years-long truce

Highlights

• Yemen's Houthi movement fired missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia's Abha International Airport, breaking a truce that has held since 2022.
• The attack followed strikes on Sanaa airport, which Yemen's government said were meant to stop an Iranian plane from landing.
• No casualties were reported in either incident.
• The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on the developments, with officials warning of the risk of wider escalation.
• Yemen's government said it had denied an Iranian request to fly the Houthi delegation home from Tehran via Mahan Air.
• All Yemeni airports were ordered closed "until further notice."

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement said it launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia's Abha International Airport on Monday, in response to earlier strikes it blamed on Saudi Arabia that hit Sanaa International Airport, according to the Associated Press and Reuters.

No casualties were reported in either incident. The Saudi-led coalition last struck Houthi-controlled areas several years ago, before a UN-brokered truce took hold in 2022, and Monday's exchange marked the most serious escalation between the two sides since then.

Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree, in a video statement, warned airlines against flying through Saudi airspace, saying the warning should be taken seriously until the "blockade" on Sanaa airport is lifted. He said the group's response to the Sanaa strikes would not go "unanswered or unpunished," according to the AP.

The official spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, Major General Turki al-Malki, said on X that air defences had intercepted ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis towards the kingdom's southern region, without giving further details.

UN Security Council meets amid escalation fears

The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Monday afternoon to discuss the developments. UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Khaled Khiari told the council that Yemen and the wider region could not afford another cycle of escalation, and called on all sides to engage constructively in negotiations under UN auspices, the AP reported.

The UN's special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said his office was monitoring developments in Yemeni airspace and voiced concern about the risk of wider escalation, urging the parties to pursue dialogue that preserves the relative calm Yemen has experienced since 2022.

What triggered the strikes on Sanaa

The Sanaa strikes followed weeks of rising tension after the Houthis alleged that Saudi aircraft had violated Yemeni airspace to try to prevent an Iranian plane from carrying a Houthi delegation to Tehran for the funeral of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Yemen's Defence Minister, General Taher al-Aqili, said the airport's runway was struck on Monday to stop the same Iranian aircraft from returning the delegation to Sanaa. In a video statement issued shortly before the strikes, he said Yemeni forces would confront any hostile aircraft violating the country's airspace and sovereignty "by all available means."

Rashad al-Alimi, who leads Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, said Iran had requested to operate a flight by Iranian carrier Mahan Air from Tehran to Sanaa to return the delegation. The council said it had denied the request, adding that the Houthis had insisted on receiving the flight outside the legal and sovereign frameworks governing civil aviation.

The Houthis said the aircraft was subsequently diverted and landed at Hodeidah airport instead. Footage broadcast by the Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah channel appeared to show a missile striking the runway at Sanaa airport, followed by an explosion.

Following the strikes, Yemen's government ordered all airports in the country closed "until further notice," and directed an evacuation of the airport and surrounding areas.

A coalition already under strain

Yemen's civil war began in 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, forcing the government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition, which included the UAE, intervened the following year in an effort to restore the government to power.

The coalition has come under strain, with tensions rising between Saudi Arabia and the UAE earlier this year over their partnership in the Yemen war, ultimately leading to the UAE's withdrawal from the campaign.

UN Security Council meets amid escalation fears

The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Monday afternoon to discuss the developments. UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Khaled Khiari told the council that Yemen and the wider region could not afford another cycle of escalation, and called on all sides to engage constructively in negotiations under UN auspices, the AP reported.

The UN's Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said he was monitoring developments affecting Yemen's airspace and airports, and expressed concern about the risk of a broader escalation. He said his office was in intensive talks with military representatives from all sides to help prevent a new cycle of conflict, and called on the parties to pursue UN-mediated dialogue to preserve the "relative calm" Yemen has experienced since 2022 and work towards a sustainable resolution.