Houthis hit Abha airport after Saudi strike on Sanaa fuels escalation

Missiles and drones launched by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels targeted Saudi Arabia's Abha International Airport on Monday, in what the group said was retaliation for airstrikes on Sanaa International Airport that they blamed on Riyadh. No casualties were reported, but the exchange marked a major escalation after a period of relative calm between the two sides.

The internationally recognised Yemeni government said the strike on Sanaa airport was meant to stop an Iranian plane from landing. Saudi officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the airstrikes, though the Saudi-led coalition later said its air defences dealt with ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis towards the kingdom's south.

Houthi military spokesman Brig Gen Yahya Saree said in a video statement on Telegram that the group had carried out the attack on Abha airport. He also warned airlines against flying through Saudi airspace, saying the warning should be taken "seriously until the blockade on Sanaa International Airport is lifted".