Saudi airstrike on Sanaa airport follows largest Houthi attack in years

Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a major assault on Saudi Arabia, striking Abha airport with ballistic missiles and drones, and Saudi forces responded by bombing Sanaa international airport just before a Houthi delegation flight from Iran was due to land. The exchange marks a sharp escalation in the long-running conflict that now threatens to pull Yemen deeper into regional tensions.

"Os houthis do Iêmen, apoiados pelo Irã, lançaram mísseis balísticos e drones contra a Arábia Saudita no mais grave ataque do grupo contra o reino em vários anos."

revistaquem.globo.comMaior ataque dos houthis à Arábia Saudita em anos ameaça ampliar conflito regional no Oriente Médio

The Portuguese-language outlet described it as the most serious Houthi attack on the kingdom in years, raising the risk of dragging the rebels into the broader regional confrontation between Tehran and Washington.

Saudi Arabia struck back by targeting Sanaa airport. According to El Comercio, the attack occurred "antes de la llegada de un vuelo iraní con una delegación hutí, agravando la tensión entre Yemen, Irán y Arabia Saudí." The Houthis, for their part, accused Riyadh of the bombing and threatened to retaliate, as Infobae reported.

2 sources

El ComercioYemen: Bombardean el aeropuerto de Saná antes de la llegada de un vuelo con hutíes desde IránInfobaeLos hutíes del Yemen acusan a Arabia Saudí del bombardeo en Saná y amenazan con responder

The United States has meanwhile approved a nearly $2 billion sale of high-precision rockets to Saudi Arabia, as multiple outlets including El Comercio and elcomercio.pe reported. That arms deal underscores Washington's continued strategic partnership with Riyadh even as the Houthi-Saudi violence flares.

The dual actions, the Houthi salvo and the Saudi air strike, demonstrate how fragile the ceasefire in Yemen remains and how quickly the region can be pulled into a wider conflagration involving Iran and its proxies.