Houthis Target Saudi Airport With Missiles and Drones As Tensions Escalate

Key Facts

Published: July 14, 2026 Location: Saudi Arabia Source: Associated Press, Financial Times, Saudi-led Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, United Nations

• Houthi forces launched missiles and drones toward Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport.
• The attack followed a strike on Sanaa airport’s runway intended to stop an Iranian aircraft from landing.
• The confrontation threatens to unravel the relative calm that has largely held in Yemen since 2022.

Attack on Abha International Airport follows strike on Sanaa runway intended to block an Iranian aircraft

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – Iran-backed Houthi terrorists launched ballistic missiles and drones toward Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport on Monday, sharply escalating tensions along the kingdom’s southern border and threatening years of relative calm in Yemen.

The Houthis claimed the attack was retaliation for airstrikes earlier Monday that damaged the runway at Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport. Saudi air defenses intercepted ballistic missiles fired toward the kingdom’s southern region, according to the Saudi-led coalition. No casualties were reported.

Yemen’s internationally recognized government said the runway was struck to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing without authorization. Defense Minister Gen. Taher al-Aqili accused the plane of violating Yemeni airspace while transporting a Houthi delegation from Iran.

The Houthis claimed their missiles and unmanned aircraft successfully struck Abha airport and warned commercial airlines against flying through Saudi airspace until restrictions on Sanaa airport are lifted. Saudi Arabia had not publicly confirmed damage at the airport.

The attack represents one of the most serious confrontations between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government since a U.N.-brokered truce took effect in 2022. Although that agreement formally expired, it ushered in a prolonged reduction in cross-border attacks.

Qatar condemned the Houthi operation as a violation of Saudi sovereignty and a threat to regional security. U.N. officials also urged both sides to step back from further military action, warning that Yemen and the wider Middle East cannot afford another cycle of war.

The Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen in 2014, triggering a Saudi-led military intervention the following year. The terrorist group has since expanded its regional campaign by launching missiles toward Israel and attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

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