Threats escalate after Houthis block Saudi warplanes, allowing Iranian aircraft to land in Sanaa for first time in about a decade.
The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government says it will respond with “unprecedented determination and force” to any attempt to target the kingdom or violate Yemeni sovereignty.
This followed earlier threats from the Houthi movement and the arrival of an Iranian civilian flight in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa.
In a statement released on Saturday, coalition spokesperson Major-General Turki al-Maliki dismissed recent Houthi threats against Saudi Arabia as an attempt to divert attention from the group’s actions against the Yemeni people.
He accused the Iran-aligned movement of seeking to export economic hardships it has caused and to deflect from domestic political and social challenges.
“The claims they made are an extension of escalations and hostile behaviour demonstrated by the Houthi Militia and their attempts to undermine regional and international security,” al-Maliki said.
On Friday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree had issued a statement threatening a “comprehensive” response targeting Saudi airports and vital interests on land and sea.
Saree said his forces had used air defence missiles to prevent Saudi warplanes from blocking an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at Sanaa International Airport.
He said the plane was carrying more than 200 patients alongside a Houthi delegation travelling to Tehran for the funeral of Iran’s late supreme leader.
The flight was the first publicly confirmed Iranian civilian aircraft to land in Sanaa in roughly a decade.
Al-Maliki’s statement on Saturday said the Houthis’ military posture has exposed Yemeni civilian infrastructure to potential targeting, including the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa, and as-Salif, as well as Sanaa International Airport, power stations and industrial facilities.
“The coalition will respond with unprecedented determination and force to any and all attempts to target the Kingdom, its citizens and residents and national assets, or any attempt to violate the sovereignty of the brotherly Republic of Yemen,” al-Maliki said.
The coalition also reiterated previous accusations that the Houthis have attacked shipping lanes and international trade in the southern Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, which is recognised internationally, held an emergency meeting on Friday, chaired by President Rashad al-Alimi.
In a statement, the council condemned the Iranian flight as a violation of Yemeni sovereignty and said it defied international law and United Nations Security Council resolutions.
It warned Tehran against further escalation and called on the UN and regional partners to take what it described as deterrent measures, including tighter controls on channels supporting and arming the Houthis.
The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 after the Houthis seized Sanaa and ousted the internationally backed government. The conflict has since caused widespread displacement and damage, with the UN describing the situation as one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.
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