Yemen’s Houthis threaten Saudi Arabia for allegedly preventing Iranian plane landing

Tehran-backed rebels, who recently concluded a large prisoner exchange with Riyadh-backed Yemeni government, say ‘fingers are on the trigger’ to break ‘Saudi-American siege’

SANAA, Yemen — Yemen’s Houthis on Friday threatened Saudi airports and vital assets should Riyadh violate its airspace or attempt to attack it, as the rebels accused the kingdom of trying to stop an Iranian plane from landing.

The threats followed a time of relative calm between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed rebels, which did not target Gulf states during the Middle East war that saw Iran pummel its oil-rich neighbours.

“We warn the criminal Saudi enemy against repeating any attempt to violate our airspace or any aggression targeting our country,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement. “Such actions will be met with a comprehensive response targeting its airports and vital interests on land and sea.”

Saree said the rebels had thwarted an attempt by Saudi warplanes to infiltrate their airspace at 5:20 am (0220 GMT) in a bid “to prevent an Iranian civilian aircraft carrying more than 200 stranded, wounded and sick citizens from landing at Sanaa International Airport.”

Houthi media earlier reported that the aircraft had headed back to Tehran carrying the Houthi delegation meant to attend the funeral of Iran’s former supreme leader, killed in US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war on February 28.

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The rebels said their fighters were ready for “any options” and that “their fingers are on the trigger to implement directives aimed at breaking the Saudi-American siege,” without providing further details.

The renewed threats came months after the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Houthis had agreed to their largest prisoner exchange, confirmed in May, which includes seven Saudi nationals.

The Houthis have been at war with the government since 2015 in a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and triggered a major humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

The Houthi rebels control Yemen’s capital Sanaa and much of the north, including most population centers, while the internationally recognized government holds much of the south.

The fighting between the two sides has largely been frozen since a UN-negotiated truce in 2022.

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