13.07.2026 20:31
Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have taken action after blaming Saudi Arabia for an attack on Sanaa International Airport by warplanes. The Houthis struck Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia and King Khalid Air Base in the southwest with ballistic missiles. Abha International Airport was closed.
Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen retaliated against Saudi Arabia, which they held responsible for an airstrike on Sanaa International Airport using warplanes. The Houthis targeted Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia and the strategic King Khalid Air Base in the southwest with drones and missiles.
FLIGHTS SUSPENDED
Following the attacks, Saudi authorities temporarily closed Abha International Airport to civilian flights for security reasons. Saudi Arabia activated its air defense systems to intercept the missiles. Military alert was declared in the region, and these latest reciprocal actions have once again escalated tensions between the two countries.
WHAT HAD HAPPENED?
The Yemeni government announced earlier in the day that an Iranian aircraft had entered Yemeni airspace to land at Sanaa International Airport in the capital, which is under Houthi control.
Defense Minister Tahir al-Uqaili, in a video statement, stated that Iranian planes had violated Yemeni airspace and declared they would respond to these violations.
Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen claimed that Sanaa Airport was bombed by Saudi Arabia; however, the Yemeni government stated that it targeted the airport runway to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing in Yemen. Following the bombing of Sanaa International Airport, it was reported that the Iranian plane changed its course and headed to Hodeidah.
It was reported that the Iranian plane, which caused tensions due to entering Yemeni airspace, landed at Hodeidah Airport in the west of the country.
The Yemeni Civil Aviation and Meteorology Authority announced that after the bombing of Sanaa Airport, all airports across the country were closed to flights until further notice.