Yemen’s Houthis launched a barrage of ballistic missiles toward Abha International Airport and two military bases in Saudi Arabia after an attack on the runway at Sanaa International Airport that Yemen’s internationally recognized government said was aimed at preventing an Iranian aircraft from landing.
The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said air defenses stopped the missiles before they reached targets in the kingdom’s south.
A coalition spokesperson said on X that the intercepted weapons had been “launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward the southern region.”
The attacks brought an end to four years of truce between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis and renewed direct hostilities between the two sides.
The Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for the action at Sanaa airport, alleging that the kingdom had launched several airstrikes against the facility. Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is supported by Saudi Arabia, gave a different account, saying its forces struck the runway to block the arrival of an aircraft from Iran.
“In an unjust aggression, the Saudi enemy carried out several airstrikes against Sanaa International Airport,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said shortly after reports of the attack surfaced.
Saree said the deescalation period was over and pledged that the Houthis would respond immediately.
The group then directed ballistic missiles at Abha International Airport and the two Saudi air bases. Saudi air defenses intercepted the missiles targeting the country’s southern region, the coalition said.
The Houthis described the missile barrage as retaliation for the attack at Sanaa International Airport.
Saudi Arabia supports Yemen’s internationally recognized government in its conflict with the Houthis, who are aligned with Iran.
