Attack on Abha International Airport follows strike on Sanaa runway intended to block an Iranian aircraft
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – Iran-backed Houthi terrorists launched ballistic missiles and drones toward Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport on Monday, sharply escalating tensions along the kingdom’s southern border and threatening years of relative calm in Yemen.
The Houthis claimed the attack was retaliation for airstrikes earlier Monday that damaged the runway at Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport. Saudi air defenses intercepted ballistic missiles fired toward the kingdom’s southern region, according to the Saudi-led coalition. No casualties were reported.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government said the runway was struck to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing without authorization. Defense Minister Gen. Taher al-Aqili accused the plane of violating Yemeni airspace while transporting a Houthi delegation from Iran.
The Houthis claimed their missiles and unmanned aircraft successfully struck Abha airport and warned commercial airlines against flying through Saudi airspace until restrictions on Sanaa airport are lifted. Saudi Arabia had not publicly confirmed damage at the airport.
The attack represents one of the most serious confrontations between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government since a U.N.-brokered truce took effect in 2022. Although that agreement formally expired, it ushered in a prolonged reduction in cross-border attacks.
Qatar condemned the Houthi operation as a violation of Saudi sovereignty and a threat to regional security. U.N. officials also urged both sides to step back from further military action, warning that Yemen and the wider Middle East cannot afford another cycle of war.
The Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen in 2014, triggering a Saudi-led military intervention the following year. The terrorist group has since expanded its regional campaign by launching missiles toward Israel and attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
United States forces carried out a third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, targeting military sites along the Islamic Republic’s coastline and near the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command confirmed.
Iran-backed Houthi terrorists launched ballistic missiles and drones toward Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport on Monday, sharply escalating tensions along the kingdom’s southern border and threatening years of relative calm in Yemen.
Anglican leaders have approved an ambitious initiative to plant or restore one million churches worldwide over the next decade, with the goal of bringing congregations closer to local communities and welcoming an estimated 20 million new believers.
The European Union and more than a dozen international partners have pledged approximately $1 billion to support the reconstruction and early recovery of the Gaza Strip, European officials announced Monday.
Israeli and Lebanese delegations began a new round of U.S.-mediated talks in Rome on Tuesday, seeking to implement a framework agreement that could lead to Hezbollah’s disarmament and a phased Israeli withdrawal from Southern Lebanon.
A German court has sentenced an Iraqi couple linked to the so-called Islamic State (IS) militant group to lengthy prison terms for enslaving, torturing, and sexually abusing two Yazidi girls in Iraq.
The U.S. House passed a bill Monday that would restrict funding of state and local political races and ballot proposals to American citizens only.