The long-simmering war on the Arabian Peninsula erupted again Monday as Saudi forces struck Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital and the Iranian-backed rebels answered within hours with ballistic missiles and drones aimed at southern Saudi Arabia.
Saudi air defenses intercepted incoming Houthi ballistic missiles targeting the kingdom’s southern region, according to Saudi Defense Ministry spokesman Turki al-Maliki. The Houthis claimed they also targeted Abha International Airport with multiple missiles and drones, although no casualties were immediately reported.
The counterattack came roughly eight hours after a strike hit Sanaa International Airport. Yemen’s Saudi-backed government said the runway was targeted to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing, while the Houthis accused Riyadh of attacking civilian infrastructure and continuing what they called an unjust blockade.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group launched the attack on Abha in direct retaliation for the Sanaa strike and claimed the operation achieved its objectives. He also warned international airlines against using Saudi airspace until restrictions on Sanaa airport are lifted.
The Iranian aircraft reportedly had carried hundreds of passengers, including officials traveling between Yemen and Tehran. After being prevented from landing in Sanaa, it was diverted to the Houthi-controlled airport in Hodeidah on Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
Fragile Truce Nears Breaking Point
Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have fought for years over control of Yemen, where Riyadh supports the internationally recognized government and Tehran backs the Houthi movement with weapons, training and other military assistance.
Large-scale hostilities had declined considerably following a United Nations-brokered truce in 2022. However, negotiations failed to produce a permanent settlement, leaving both sides heavily armed and prepared for another confrontation.
Monday’s exchange was among the most serious escalations between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in several years and threatens to reopen a front stretching across southern Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the strategic Red Sea corridor.
The Houthis have repeatedly demonstrated that they can operate independently while remaining anchored within Iran’s broader regional network. Tehran’s continuing support has given the group an extensive missile and drone arsenal capable of threatening airports, oil facilities, military bases and commercial shipping far beyond Yemen’s borders.
The speed of the Houthi retaliation also signals that the group no longer views strikes against Saudi territory as carrying the same risk they once did. By answering an attack on Sanaa airport with an attempted strike on Abha airport, the rebels followed the familiar Iranian strategy of promising a direct and proportionate response.
The renewed fighting comes as Iran is already engaged in a wider confrontation with the United States and its regional partners. Saudi Arabia had largely avoided becoming directly involved in that conflict, but the Houthi attack now places the kingdom firmly back on the front line.
A conflict once confined largely to Yemen is again threatening to engulf the Arabian Peninsula — and place civilian aviation, energy infrastructure and vital maritime routes under renewed danger.
