Aden (South24)

---

The Saudi Ministry of Defense announced on Monday evening (July 13) that its air defenses had intercepted a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi militias toward the Kingdom’s southern region, marking the first direct military escalation between the two sides since the strike on the runway of Sanaa International Airport.

Yahya Saree, the military spokesperson for the Houthi militias, said that the group had targeted Abha International Airport with several missiles and drones in response to what he described as “Saudi Arabia’s bombing of Sanaa airport.”

He also warned airlines against using Saudi airspace until the militias’ demand to lift what they describe as the “siege on Sanaa airport” is met.

The attack coincided with Houthi threats to expand the scope of their targets inside Saudi Arabia. Senior Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti warned that the militias would respond to what he called “Saudi aggression” by targeting vital infrastructure in the Kingdom.

Similarly, Abdullah al-Naami, a member of the Houthi militias’ Political Council, said that Saudi economic and oil facilities would be targeted unless Sanaa airport was allowed to operate flights to all destinations.

The American news outlet Axios quoted two U.S. officials as saying that President Donald Trump had given Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman his backing for "a highly unusual military action" against the Houthi militias in Yemen.

According to the report, Saudi Arabia had informed the United States of its concerns over the situation and requested support for possible strikes against the Houthis. During a subsequent phone call, Mohammed bin Salman asked Trump for his backing for military action and received it, a U.S. official told Axios.

Axios reported that the Saudi ambassador to Washington met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday. Rubio then spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan the following day, shortly before Trump held a phone call with Mohammed bin Salman.

The outlet also quoted a U.S. official as claiming that the Iranian aircraft bound for Sanaa was carrying weapons, missile parts, and military experts for the Houthis.

The Yemeni Ministry of Defense claimed that the armed forces had targeted the runway to prevent the aircraft from landing after the Houthi militias insisted on allowing the Iranian flight to enter Yemeni territory, according to the ministry’s statement.

The Houthi militias accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out the airstrikes on Sanaa airport. Their military spokesperson declared that the bombing had brought the de-escalation phase to an end and would not go unanswered.

The Houthi-run government later confirmed that the Iranian aircraft had landed at Hudaydah Airport, carrying the Houthi delegation, several patients, and stranded citizens.

Meanwhile, Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi described what occurred in Sanaa as “defensive measures” aimed at protecting Yemen’s sovereignty and preventing the imposition of an illegal fait accompli.

He said that he had issued instructions to avoid an expansion of the confrontation and to protect civilians and property.

Axios described the strike on Sanaa airport and the subsequent Houthi attacks as the most serious cross-border escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi militias since 2022. It warned that the escalation could bring an undeclared four-year truce to an end and widen the repercussions of the broader regional confrontation involving Iran.

The Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia has returned the dispute over Sanaa airport to the level of direct military confrontation, after the issue had largely remained linked to humanitarian flights and airspace restrictions during the previous period.