Amid the disruption caused by the ongoing war between the United States and Iran in the West Asian region, the Yemeni militant group, the Houthis, have claimed that they struck the Najran Airport in Saudi Arabia.
Citing a statement from the Iran-backed proxy group, AFP and Reuters reported that the group targeted the Saudi airport. A statement issued on Telegram from the group confirmed the drone strike at a “sensitive site.”
The statement from Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said they “successfully targeted a sensitive target belonging to the Saudi enemy at Najran Airport using a drone,” adding that the strike on the southern airport was “in response to the Saudi enemy’s violation of airspace over the Saada and Hajjah governorates using drones”.
A comment from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is awaited.
Tensions escalate between Yemen, Saudi Arabia
Tensions between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia renewed after the Yemeni militant group claimed Riyadh struck its airport in Sanaa to prevent Houthi leaders from returning after the funeral procession of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Following this escalation, which also marks the first such instance since the 2022 truce, Houthis have struck facilities owned by Saudi’s national oil company Aramco.
The Houthi strikes have also resulted in the Jazan production plant shutting down, which came as a major setback for Riyadh amid the ongoing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz due to the US-Iran war.
Tensions further escalated after the Houthis announced they would block Saudi-linked commercial vessels from passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This strait, also known as the Gate of Tears, has become significant for Saudi oil exports amid the Hormuz blockade.
Houthi spokesperson Saree also stated that the group had “carried out a military operation targeting the Saudi oil tanker (NCC GHAZAL) for violating the maritime navigation ban” that the group had imposed on Saudi vessels on July 28.
This attack came after the Houthis claimed an attack on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea – Encelia and Layla.
In response to these threats, Saudi Arabia has also struck Houthi targets and has established a maritime coalition to protect key shipping routes.
The Saudi-Houthi dispute
The conflict between Riyadh and the Iranian-backed rebel group dates back to the Yemeni civil war.
Since 2014, the Houthi militants have been in conflict with a Saudi-led coalition, which backs Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
After the Houthi takeover of Sana’a in 2015, a Gulf coalition led by Saudi Arabia worked towards economically isolating Yemen and launched air strikes with the help of intelligence inputs from the United States.
Naval blockades, weapon seizures and military raids later, in April 2022, the United Nations brokered a ceasefire. Despite the truce agreement’s lapse in October 2022, both sides have refrained from major escalations, until now.