A fragile lull in a long-running war in the Middle East just snapped. Yemen's Houthi movement on Monday said it fired missiles at Saudi Arabia, claiming it struck the international airport in Abha in the kingdom's south after accusing Riyadh of bombing Sanaa's airport, Reuters reports. Saudi officials said their forces intercepted missiles launched toward the southern region and described the Houthis as a "terrorist militia," but offered no immediate further comment.
The exchange marks the first Houthi-claimed attack on Saudi territory since an informal de-escalation took hold in March 2022, raising fears of a wider flare-up along Saudi Arabia's southern border and in the Red Sea, where the group has previously targeted shipping. The Houthis, who control northern Yemen, warned airlines to avoid Saudi airspace until what they called a "siege" on Sanaa airport is lifted.
Yemen's internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government said it, not Riyadh, hit Sanaa's runway to stop an Iranian plane from landing, vowing to confront any "hostile" aircraft and blaming Tehran. The plane was carrying a Houthi delegation that had attended the funeral of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Wall Street Journal reports. The aircraft later landed in a Houthi-controlled city. The Journal notes that the Houthis could worsen the global oil squeeze now that Saudi Arabia, in an effort to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, is shipping much of its oil on a route that passes hundreds of miles of Houthi-controlled coastline.
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