Leading Houthi threatens ‘siege’ on Saudi Arabia after Yemen airport attack

Key Points:

• Yemen’s Houthi rebels have threatened to impose a “siege” on Saudi Arabia in retaliation for an attack on Sanaa International Airport, which the Houthis blame on Saudi Arabia, though Yemen’s internationally recognized government claims responsibility to stop an Iranian plane landing.
• The attack targeted Sanaa Airport’s runway as an Iranian plane carrying a Houthi delegation was approaching, ending a four-year relative calm in Yemen’s war and prompting the Houthis to fire ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport.
• The Houthis vow to maintain flights between Sanaa and Tehran and have threatened further action to break what they describe as a siege on Sanaa Airport, while Yemen’s government accuses Iran of using such flights to supply the Houthis with military equipment.
• There are growing concerns the Houthis might close the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which they control access to, potentially disrupting a vital global shipping route amid ongoing regional tensions involving the US, Iran, and the conflict in Gaza.
• Previous Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have caused significant disruption and casualties, leading to military responses from the US, Israel, and the UK, though such attacks have paused since the Gaza ceasefire agreement in October 2025.