CAIRO (AP) — The leader of Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said Thursday that his group was ready to escalate its conflict with Saudi Arabia, after the two sides exchanged strikes on each other’s airports. In the most significant confrontation since a 2022 truce, Saudi warplanes struck Sanaa International Airport on Sunday. In response, the Houthis launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport on Monday. There were no casualties reported. Tensions flared earlier this month when the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of trying to prevent the return of an Iranian plane carrying a Houthi delegation to Tehran for the funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The plane was diverted after the Sanaa airport was bombed and landed safely in the city of Hodeida. Saudi officials did not respond to a request for comment about the airstrikes in Yemen. Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said the group’s response to the strike on Sanaa airport was “modest” and that the “real equation would be Sanaa airport for Riyadh airport. The equation is airports for airports, ports for ports, and siege for siege.” He also threatened oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.
He accused Saudi Arabia of failing to commit to de-escalation in Yemen after the 2022 truce.
