Yemen Reignites: Houthi Missiles Hit at Saudi Arabia as Second Strait Comes Under Threat

Verified key facts

• Yemeni government forces bombed Sanaa airport's runway on 13 July to stop an Iranian plane landing, the defence ministry said
• The Houthis fired ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia's Abha International Airport, breaking roughly four years of calm
• The aircraft carrying a Houthi delegation from Tehran diverted to Hodeidah, Reuters reported
• Houthi officials say the group is in 'joint coordination' with Iran, Lebanon and Iraq and call Bab el-Mandeb closure 'likely' if escalation continues
• Fighting in Hodeidah governorate has killed dozens since the first Tehran-Sanaa flight landed on 3 July, per Foreign Policy

The US-Iran war has reignited Yemen. Houthi ballistic missiles and drones targeted Saudi Arabia's Abha International Airport this week, the group's first strikes on the kingdom in roughly four years. The trigger was a Yemeni government attack on Sanaa airport's runway, carried out to stop an Iranian aircraft from landing. The group is now openly threatening the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the Red Sea's southern gate.

How a runway became a flashpoint

On 13 July, Yemeni government forces bombed the runway at Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport to prevent the landing of a plane carrying a Houthi delegation returning from Iran, the defence ministry said, per Reuters and US News. The aircraft diverted and landed at Hodeidah on the Red Sea coast. Al Jazeera reported the strike marked a dramatic escalation between Yemen's rival authorities.

The Houthis responded within hours. The group's military spokesperson said it launched ballistic missiles and drones at Abha International Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia, calling the operation retaliation for what it described as Saudi airstrikes on Sanaa airport, China Daily reported. The National reported the movement declared its 'de-escalation phase' with Riyadh over.

Four years of calm, broken

The strikes shattered a truce that had largely held between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia since 2022. Riyadh had spent those years trying to convert battlefield stalemate into a negotiated exit from Yemen. Al Jazeera analysis published this week argued Yemen's long 'no war, no peace' deadlock may now be ending, dragged apart by the wider regional conflagration.

The chain of events began on 3 July, when the first publicly announced flight between Tehran and Sanaa landed in the Houthi-held capital, Foreign Policy reported. Fighting then erupted in western Yemen's Hodeidah governorate, killing dozens. The attempted second flight from Tehran produced the runway bombing, and the runway bombing produced missiles over Saudi skies.

The Bab el-Mandeb threat

The larger danger lies offshore. Houthi deputy information minister Mohammed Mansour said the group joined the war 'to provide support to our brothers in Iran', adding that it coordinates jointly with Iran, Lebanon and Iraq, Foreign Policy reported. The movement has not ruled out closing the Bab el-Mandeb, calling that option 'likely' if aggression against Iran escalates or Gulf states join the war directly.

Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and carries a large share of Europe-Asia trade and Suez-bound energy shipments. With Hormuz already on 'severe' alert and effectively impassable for many insurers, a second closed strait would sever both of the Middle East's maritime arteries simultaneously, the Stimson Center warned in an analysis this month.

• 3 July: first open Tehran-Sanaa flight lands in the Houthi-held capital
• 13 July: Yemeni government bombs Sanaa runway; Iranian plane diverts to Hodeidah
• 13-14 July: Houthi missiles and drones target Abha airport in Saudi Arabia
• Ongoing: Houthi officials call Bab el-Mandeb closure 'likely' if the war widens

The choice facing the Houthis

A Stimson Center analysis frames the group's dilemma bluntly: join Iran's war fully or abandon Tehran. Full entry would invite renewed Saudi and American strikes on Yemen and jeopardise salary payments and port revenues the group needs to govern. Abandoning Iran would cost the Houthis their principal armourer and patron just as regional alignments harden.

So far the movement has chosen calibrated participation, striking Saudi Arabia in retaliation rather than initiating attacks on shipping. That calibration could fail quickly. NBC News reported Houthi claims of Saudi airstrikes on Sanaa airport, and each exchange narrows the space for restraint on either side.

What it means for the region

For Saudi Arabia, the return of missile fire on Abha revives its worst-case scenario: a two-front exposure to Iranian-aligned fire from both the Gulf and the south. For global shipping, the Houthi threat converts a Hormuz crisis into a potential Red Sea crisis. For Iran, Yemen offers escalation options that cost Tehran nothing directly.

Watch three indicators in the coming days: whether Saudi Arabia strikes Yemen beyond the airport exchange, whether Houthi attacks extend to Red Sea shipping lanes, and whether the promised Tehran-Sanaa air link is attempted again. Any of the three would confirm that Yemen's war has fully merged with Iran's.

Sources

• Al Jazeera - Tension rising as Yemen government attacks Sanaa airport, Houthis fire missiles (13 Jul 2026)
• The National - Houthis fire missiles at Saudi Arabia after blast at Sanaa airport (13 Jul 2026)
• Foreign Policy - Yemen's Houthis add Bab el-Mandeb to worries about Hormuz (14 Jul 2026)
• US News via Reuters - Yemeni military targets Sanaa airport runway to stop Iranian plane landing (13 Jul 2026)
• Stimson Center - The Houthis must decide: join Iran's war or abandon Iran (Jul 2026)