Leading Houthi threatens ‘siege’ on Saudi Arabia after Yemen airport attack

Speaking to Al Jazeera, leading Houthi Mohammed al-Bukhaiti warns of attacks on Saudi Arabia, prompting fears of return to all-out war in Yemen.Sanaa, Yemen – A leading official with Yemen’s Houthi rebels, officially known as Ansar Allah, has threatened a “siege” on Saudi Arabia in retaliation for an attack on Sanaa International Airport. The Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for the Monday attack, but Yemen’s internationally recognised government has claimed responsibility, saying that it was a measure to prevent an Iranian plane from landing in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital.Speaking to Al Jazeera, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi political bureau, said that the group would respond to attacks they perceived to be from Saudi Arabia.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3How new Yemen tensions could complicate the global energy crisislist 2 of 3What’s behind the Sanaa Airport attack and latest Yemen tensions?list 3 of 3Iran lawmakers present Hormuz management bill as US war heats upend of list“Their willingness to attack Sanaa Airport to prevent flights from arriving or departing gives Yemen the right to strike their airports and to impose on them a siege just as they have done to us,” al-Bukhaiti said.Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said that Monday’s attack ended the “de-escalation phase” of Yemen’s war, which has been ongoing since a Houthi takeover of Sanaa in 2014. This week’s violence follows clashes in Hodeidah between Houthi and government forces earlier in July, and threatens to end four years of relative calm since a temporary truce was agreed four years ago.The strikes, which al-Bukhaiti said “will not pass without response and punishment”, targeted Sanaa Airport’s runway as an Iranian plane carrying a Houthi delegation from Tehran was approaching. The delegation had been attending the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28.