New Delhi October 5: Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Monday warned that Saudi airspace was “unsafe” for civilian flights, as tensions escalated after Saudi Arabia joined a counter-offensive against the group. In a statement published by Yemen’s official Saba news agency, the Houthis’ HOCC agency, which liaises with airlines, said Saudi airspace “is not safe” and would become “the theatre of operations of our armed forces”, AFP reported.
The warning came after the Saudi-led coalition announced that it had joined a military campaign launched by Yemen’s internationally recognised government to retake areas under Houthi control. The Saudi-Houthi conflict intensified in July after a 2022 truce collapsed. The two sides have since traded strikes after the Houthis seized Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast and took control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait in an offensive last month.
However, the Houthi warning included exceptions for airspace over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
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