Houthi Rebels Launch Missile Barrage at Saudi Arabia After Saudi Airstrike on Sanaa Airport

An unusual Saudi airstrike on the runways of Sanaa International Airport in Yemen on Monday afternoon escalated tensions sharply across the Arabian Peninsula. The attack aimed to disrupt an airlift reportedly originating from Tehran. As a result, an Iranian passenger plane attempting to land in Sanaa was forced to divert and land instead at Hodeidah airport, also under Houthi control.

The Houthis quickly retaliated by firing approximately six missiles into Saudi territory, declaring that the Saudi strike ended the 2022 de-escalation efforts. Concurrently, the Houthis accused Riyadh of imposing a suffocating blockade with American and Zionist backing and took the extraordinary step of detaining a Red Cross plane and holding its pilots in Sanaa.

Despite the Saudi military action, southern Yemeni factions opposed to the Houthis expressed deep disappointment with Saudi Arabia's handling of the situation. A Saudi-backed southern faction official told Kan News that Saudi Arabia's failure to prevent the initial Iranian plane's landing about a week and a half ago, which brought senior Houthis to the funeral of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, emboldened Iran and the Houthis to attempt further flights into Yemen. The official suggested Riyadh may have tacitly approved the first landing and accused the recent airstrike of being a mere "media spectacle" to save face after Iranian and Houthi provocations.

Another southern faction member, supported by the UAE and also opposed to the Houthis, warned that the resumption of flights from Iran to Houthi-controlled airports in Yemen would dangerously destabilize the region and allow the Houthis to strengthen by bringing in Iranian experts.

Saudi airstrikes on Sanaa have been rare in recent years, as Riyadh sought to maintain calm and avoid escalation despite regional tensions. However, the recent Iranian airlift attempts appear to have shattered this restraint, pushing both sides back toward open conflict.