Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have claimed that they struck the Najran Airport in Saudi Arabia amid ongoing war between the United States and Iran in the West Asian region. In a statement, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group successfully targeted Najran Airport with a drone in retaliation for what it described as repeated Saudi violations of Yemeni airspace over the Saada and Hajjah governorates using drones.
Tensions between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia have escalated after the Yemeni group accused Riyadh of striking Sanaa International Airport to prevent Houthi leaders from returning following the funeral procession of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Earlier, Houthis also warned international shipping companies against transiting through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic waterway linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and located opposite the Strait of Hormuz on the Arabian Peninsula.
