Yemen’s Houthis threaten Saudi Arabia after alleged airspace intrusion

Yemen’s army says it confronted Saudi ‘warplanes’ that ⁠allegedly attempted to ⁠prevent an Iranian civilian ​aircraft from landing at Sanaa.Houthis in Yemen have threatened to attack Saudi Arabia’s airports and vital assets as the Iran-backed rebels accused the kingdom of an airspace intrusion.Yemen’s armed ⁠⁠forces ⁠⁠said on Friday they confronted Saudi “warplanes” that ⁠⁠allegedly attempted to ⁠⁠prevent an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at Sanaa International Airport.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4For one Yemeni, World Cup serves as a marker of war and peacelist 2 of 4Evolution under fire: Iran’s ‘axis of resistance’ in a post-war eralist 3 of 4‘Homes turned into ovens’: Millions of Yemenis swelter amid heat, blackoutslist 4 of 4Yemen’s Houthis declare ban on Israeli ships sailing the Red Seaend of list“We warn the criminal Saudi enemy against repeating any attempt to violate our airspace or any aggression targeting our country. Such actions will be met with a comprehensive response targeting its airports and vital interests on land and sea,” Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement.Saree said the rebels thwarted an attempt by Saudi warplanes to “infiltrate” Houthi-controlled airspace at 5:20am (02:20 GMT) in a bid “to prevent an Iranian civilian aircraft carrying more than 200 stranded, wounded and sick citizens” from landing in Sanaa.Flights between Sanaa and Tehran ‌‌will continue despite any “possible consequences,” he ‌‌added.Houthi media earlier reported that the aircraft successfully landed and headed back to Tehran carrying the Houthi delegation to attend the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in United States-Israeli strikes that triggered the Iran-war" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="38748" data-entity-type="event">Iran war.The Houthis said fighters were ready for “any options” and that “their fingers are on the trigger to implement directives aimed at breaking the Saudi-American siege”, without providing further details.The renewed threats came months after the Saudi-backed government and the Houthis agreed to their largest prisoner exchange, confirmed in May, which included seven Saudis.