Yemen’s Houthis threaten Saudi Arabia for allegedly preventing Iranian plane landing

Yemen's Houthi rebels issued a stark warning to Saudi Arabia, threatening to target its airports and vital interests should Riyadh violate Yemeni airspace or launch further aggression. The declaration came after the Houthis claimed to have thwarted an attempt by Saudi warplanes to prevent an Iranian civilian aircraft, carrying over 200 stranded citizens, from landing at Sanaa International Airport.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree stated that any such violations would be met with a "comprehensive response." He alleged that Saudi aircraft attempted to infiltrate Yemeni airspace early Friday morning. The Iranian plane, reportedly carrying a Houthi delegation returning from attending funeral ceremonies in Tehran, was said to have returned to the Iranian capital.

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We warn the criminal Saudi enemy against repeating any attempt to violate our airspace or any aggression targeting our country. Such actions will be met with a comprehensive response targeting its airports and vital interests on land and sea.

The renewed threats emerge after a period of relative calm and a significant prisoner exchange between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government in May. Despite this, the rebels emphasized their readiness for "any options" and vowed to break what they described as the "Saudi-American siege."

The conflict in Yemen, ongoing since 2015, has resulted in a severe humanitarian crisis. While a UN-brokered truce has largely frozen large-scale fighting since 2022, the Houthi control over the capital Sanaa and northern regions, contrasted with the government's hold on the south, maintains a fragile geopolitical landscape.

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their fingers are on the trigger to implement directives aimed at breaking the Saudi-American siege