The fragile truce that has reduced violence in Yemen since 2022 faces its greatest challenge in years following the exchange of attacks between Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia, an episode that increased the risk of the country once again becoming a theater for regional confrontation linked to the war between Iran and the United States and Israel. The recent clashes have reignited concerns about the possibility that a wider conflict could end up dragging Yemen back into a large-scale war.
Tensions flared on Monday when the Houthis launched missiles and drones at Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia. The group claimed the offensive was a response to an attack on the international terminal in Sanaa, controlled by the insurgents, which it attributed to Riyadh. No casualties were reported, but it was the most serious incident between the two sides since the UN-brokered truce went into effect.
The immediate origin of the crisis was related to a flight arriving from Iran. According to the Houthis, the aircraft was carrying a delegation returning from Tehran after attending the funeral of the former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei. The rebels maintained that Sanaa airport was attacked to prevent the plane from landing, which was ultimately diverted to another destination.
Houthi rebels claimed to have launched an attack on Abha airport in Saudi Arabia, in response to bombings in Yemen
The Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council of Yemen, Rashad al-Alimi, offered a different version. He stated that the Government rejected an Iranian request to authorize the delegation’s return and accused the Houthis of receiving that flight “outside the legal and sovereign frameworks that regulate civil aviation“.
Beyond the aerial incident, specialists consider that the episode reflects a deeper dispute over control of Yemeni airspace. Since 2015, the Saudi-led coalition has maintained restrictions on air and maritime traffic to Houthi-controlled areas. For the rebels, establishing direct flights with Iran represents a way to reduce those limitations; for the internationally recognized government and Riyadh, it poses a challenge to the authority over the country’s airspace.
Ahmed Nagi, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, argued that the confrontation cannot be explained solely by the Iranian flight. “The Houthis were testing a new red line. If they had succeeded, they might have felt more emboldened, increased their demands, and tried to cross other red lines,” he stated.
The possibility that the regional conflict could end up involving Yemen again worries analysts due to the country’s internal situation. After more than a decade of civil war that began in 2014, Yemen remains divided between the north, controlled by the Houthis, and the areas administered by the internationally recognized government. The conflict has left hundreds of thousands dead and triggered one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, according to the United Nations.
More Read
The risk of Yemen being trapped in the regional war grows following the escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia
Yemeni political analyst Abdel-Bari Taher warned that current conditions favor a new escalation. “The region is now in a state of total confrontation. Yemen offers an environment prone to conflict because it is divided between warring militias and lacks full control over its maritime and air spaces,” he noted.
The Houthis claimed to have shot down a Saudi drone
Amid rising tensions, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed this Tuesday that the group shot down a reconnaissance drone operated by Saudi Arabia in the Al Bayda province, in central Yemen.
In a statement, Saree asserted that his fighters “managed to shoot down a Saudi ‘Wing Loong II’ reconnaissance aircraft while it was carrying out hostile missions early this morning over the Al Bayda governorate“.
The announcement came one day after missile and drone attacks on Abha airport and constitutes a new episode in the escalation between both parties. Although the president of the Yemeni Presidential Council claimed to have called for restraint to prevent the confrontation from expanding, the exchange of military actions put the truce reached in 2022 under pressure and revived fears that Yemen could once again become trapped in a wider regional war.
