Yemen (Anadolu Agency)

Developments continue in Yemen amid ongoing tension between the Houthi group and the Saudi-led coalition.

The Yemeni Houthi group announced Monday evening that it targeted Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia with a number of ballistic missiles and drones, indicating the attack came "in response to the targeting of Sanaa International Airport."

This was stated in a video statement by the military spokesman for the group's forces, Yahya Saree, broadcast by the Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah channel.

Saree said the Houthis carried out "a military operation targeting Abha International Airport with a number of ballistic missiles and drones," claiming the operation "achieved its goals successfully."

He warned all airlines against crossing Saudi airspace, calling on them to take the warnings "seriously until the siege on Sanaa International Airport is lifted," according to the statement.

There was no immediate comment from Saudi authorities on the Houthi statement.

Earlier Monday, the spokesman for the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, Turki Al-Maliki, announced that "air defenses dealt with a threat from ballistic missiles launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards the southern region," without providing further details.

This came hours after the Yemeni Defense Ministry announced it had targeted the runway of Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing, while the Houthi group considered this development as meaning the "end of de-escalation" in place in the country for years, and threatened that the targeting "will not pass without response and punishment."

In this context, the head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, affirmed in a statement published by the Yemeni news agency Saba that his country "will not allow the violation of its airspace or the imposition of a fait accompli at Sanaa Airport or any other airport," announcing his directives not to expand confrontation to avoid dragging Yemen into a regional conflict.

According to Yemeni media, this is the first declared Iranian flight to arrive at Sanaa Airport in about 10 years.

Yemeni authorities previously condemned what they said was Iran sending a 'Mahan' plane to Sanaa on July 3, 2026, to 'transport a Houthi delegation from Sanaa to Tehran.'

Despite intermittent clashes, Yemen has witnessed since April 2022 a ceasefire in a war that began more than 11 years ago between forces of the legitimate government and elements of the Houthi group, which has controlled provinces and cities, including Sanaa in the north of the country, since September 21, 2014.

This operation could lead to wider escalation in the region, especially with the Houthis warning airlines against crossing Saudi airspace. Also, threatening Saudi airports increases the likelihood of a military response from the coalition. The fate of the previous de-escalation agreement remains unclear after these developments.