The Iran-backed Houthis rebel in Yemen said that they launched missiles and drones attacks at Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport on Monday in response to air strikes on Yemen’s Sanaa International Airport earlier in the day.
Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for the attacks. No casualties were reported, but the attacks marked an escalation after a long time between the Saudi-led coalition and Houthi-controlled area and Iran-backed Houthis.
Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to the reports. Saudi Arabia hasn’t commented on the air strikes in Yemen. Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree in a video statement said they warned airlines against flying through the Saudi airspace, saying, saying this warning should be taken seriously until the blockade of the Sanaa International Airport is lifted.
The internationally recognized government in Yemen said that the strikes that hit the Sanaa International Airport was to prevent the Iranian plane from landing. The Houthis vowed to retaliate for the strike, which marked the first major escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia following a period of relative calm.
Read more: Reports Claim Israel Tried to Recruit Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Lead Post-Islamic Republic Iran
Houthis have called Monday’s attacks blatant aggression and said that they had ended a period of de-escalation. Yemen’s internationally recognized government claimed the responsibility, which is heavily backed by Saudi Arabia. The government, the defense ministry said that the runway of the airport was targeted to prevent an Iranian plane from landing in violation of Yemeni sovereignty. Flights from the Abha airport have been cancelled.
The data from the flight radar 24 showed that at least 10 flights from the Abha were cancelled between 11.50 a.m. and 5.55 p.m. on Tuesday, including five Saudi services and two Flyadeal flights. Tension are escalating rapidly in Middle East as USA-Iran exchanges strikes in a fresh wave of the conflict.
