Saudi-led coalition pledges ‘unprecedented’ force against Houthi threats

Threats escalate after Houthis block Saudi warplanes, allowing Iranian aircraft to land in Sanaa for first time in about a decade.The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government says it will respond with “unprecedented determination and force” to any attempt to target the kingdom or violate Yemeni sovereignty.This followed earlier threats from the Houthi movement and the arrival of an Iranian civilian flight in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Yemen’s Houthis threaten Saudi Arabia after alleged airspace intrusionlist 2 of 3Yemen’s Houthis declare ban on Israeli ships sailing the Red Sealist 3 of 3For one Yemeni, World Cup serves as a marker of war and peaceend of listIn a statement released on Saturday, coalition spokesperson Major-General Turki al-Maliki dismissed recent Houthi threats against Saudi Arabia as an attempt to divert attention from the group’s actions against the Yemeni people.He accused the Iran-aligned movement of seeking to export economic hardships it has caused and to deflect from domestic political and social challenges.“The claims they made are an extension of escalations and hostile behaviour demonstrated by the Houthi Militia and their attempts to undermine regional and international security,” al-Maliki said.Houthi threatsOn Friday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree had issued a statement threatening a “comprehensive” response targeting Saudi airports and vital interests on land and sea.Saree said his forces had used air defence missiles to prevent Saudi warplanes from blocking an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at Sanaa International Airport.He said the plane was carrying more than 200 patients alongside a Houthi delegation travelling to Tehran for the funeral of Iran’s late supreme leader.The flight was the first publicly confirmed Iranian civilian aircraft to land in Sanaa in roughly a decade.