Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement has threatened to strike Saudi Arabia’s airports and key installations, accusing Riyadh of violating Yemeni airspace. In a statement on Friday, July 3, the group claimed that a Saudi warplane attempted to block the landing of an Iranian civilian aircraft at Sana’a International Airport. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sari warned that any further Saudi aggression would trigger ground and maritime attacks on Saudi targets.

According to Al Jazeera, Sari said the attempted intrusion occurred at 5:20 a.m. local time and was repelled by Houthi forces. He asserted that the Iranian aircraft, carrying over two hundred stranded, injured, and ill passengers, later landed safely in Sana’a and returned to Tehran with a delegation. The Houthis stated they remain ready for any confrontation and are working to break the Saudi-U.S. blockade.

The warning follows a recent large-scale prisoner exchange between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Houthis. Despite a UN-brokered truce in 2022 that reduced major clashes, tensions remain high as Yemen’s conflict continues to cause severe humanitarian suffering.