Sanaa Airport Attack and Houthi Retaliation Threaten Fragile Yemen Truce

The conflict in Yemen escalated sharply on Monday as Yemen's internationally recognised government claimed responsibility for a strike on Sanaa International Airport, which is under Houthi rebel control. The Houthis retaliated by launching ballistic missiles and drones at Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia, marking the most serious confrontation between the two sides in years and threatening the fragile 2022 ceasefire.

Yemen's government said it targeted the airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing. The Houthi delegation had flown to Tehran for the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and the government wanted them to return on a Yemeni airline instead. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement: 'In response to this criminal Saudi aggression, the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a military operation targeting Abha International Airport, using a number of ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.' He earlier accused Saudi Arabia of ending the de-escalation phase and warned the attack would not go unanswered.

Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said air defences had 'dealt with' the Houthi missiles. The latest escalation could unravel a truce that has been in place since April 2022 despite expiring. Tensions have been rising amid broader regional tensions, including US-Iran attacks affecting the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran condemned the attack on Sanaa airport as a violation of international law. However, the head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, said he had ordered that the scope of confrontation not be expanded.

Conflict analyst Mohammed al-Basha of the Basha Report warned that continued retaliation could collapse the ceasefire. 'If this cycle of action and retaliation continues, it could effectively mark the collapse of the April 2022 ceasefire framework and signal a return to a much more intense phase of the conflict,' he said.

For more than a decade, aircraft entering Yemeni airspace have needed prior clearance from the Saudi-led coalition. The Houthis challenged this by organising direct flights from Iran to Sanaa, angering the government. Saree warned airlines against flying into Saudi airspace until the blockade on Sanaa airport is lifted.

Tensions had been rising for days after the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia earlier this month of attacking an Iranian plane. The rebels threatened to hit Saudi airports and vital assets if attacked again.

Since 2015, the Saudi-led coalition has conducted air strikes on Houthi targets on behalf of the Yemeni government. According to Andreas Krieg, a lecturer in security at King's College London, it is 'technically possible' for the government to have carried out the strike with planes provided by the UAE, but he said it was more likely the Saudis were responsible.

A 29-year-old homemaker in Hodeida expressed fear of renewed conflict, saying it would make crises worse. The events raise the spectre of renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia after years of relative calm, as well as fears of broader conflict in Yemen.