Houthis Fire Missiles at Saudi Arabia, Breaking 4-Year Truce After Sana’a Airport Strike
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 14
Houthis Fire Missiles at Saudi Arabia, Breaking 4-Year Truce After Sana’a Airport Strike
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 14
Summary
Missile fire from the Houthis into Saudi Arabia ended a four-year truce after Yemeni government warplanes, backed by Riyadh, bombed Houthi-held Sana’a airport.
Abdullah al-Alimi said the strike was meant to stop an Iranian flight he said was carrying equipment and experts for the Houthis under cover of a delegation returning from Ali Khamenei’s funeral.
That plane instead landed in Hodeidah, while the UN Security Council held an emergency session and urged both sides to de-escalate.
Al-Alimi said the Houthis have shifted from a domestic insurgent threat to a regional one by menacing Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab shipping and hitting Yemen’s oil export facilities.
The flare-up revives a conflict that began in 2015 and underscores how Yemen’s Saudi-backed government still depends on Riyadh for budget support and salaries.
With a new US-Iran deal on the table, will Tehran rein in its Houthi allies in Yemen's escalating war?
Can global trade survive another waterway closure as Houthi threats escalate in the Red Sea?
Is Yemen’s reorganized government strong enough to end the war, or will internal fractures prolong the nation’s crisis?
July 2026 Yemen Escalation: Sanaa and Abha Airport Attacks Threaten Regional Stability and Humanitarian Crisis
Overview
On July 13, 2026, an airstrike on Sanaa International Airport triggered a dangerous resurgence of hostilities in Yemen. Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the attack as a clear violation of international law, which set the stage for rapid and forceful retaliation by Houthi forces. In response, the Houthis launched a major missile and drone attack on Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia, escalating the ongoing conflict. Saudi air defenses intercepted the missiles, but the cycle of attack and retaliation highlighted the fragile state of the region and the risk of further escalation.