Published On 4/7/2026
The Yemeni file has returned to the forefront with the violation of Yemeni airspace by Iran, the subsequent threats made by the Houthi group against Saudi Arabia, and the coalition leadership’s confirmation that it will respond “firmly and strongly” to protect the security of the Kingdom and the sovereignty of Yemen.
The Iranian violation of Yemeni airspace sparked responses from the Yemeni Presidential Command Council, which described Iran’s operation of a direct flight to Sana’a airport, which is controlled by the Houthi group, as “a violation of Yemen’s sovereignty and a challenge to international law and UN Security Council resolutions,” and accused the group of undermining peace opportunities and rejecting regional and international initiatives.
Regarding the Houthi threats against Saudi Arabia, the official spokesman for the coalition forces to support legitimacy in Yemen, Major General Turki Al-Maliki, considered this “an attempt to divert attention from the violations committed by the group against the Yemeni people, and to export its internal and economic crises to the regional periphery of Yemen.”
The Houthis announced earlier that “Saudi Arabia tried to intercept a civilian plane coming from Iran,” and the group warned that it would respond if the airspace violation was repeated.
This coincided with what Al-Masirah Channel – affiliated with the Houthi group – reported that a delegation from the group headed to Iran to participate in the funeral ceremony of the late Iranian guide Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an American-Israeli raid on February 28 of last year.
Al Jazeera’s Yemeni affairs editor, Ahmed Al-Shalfi, explained that the military spokesman for the group, Yahya Saree, issued a statement in which Saudi Arabia threatened to strike its airports and vital and economic facilities.
Al-Shalfi said that this is the first time that there has been a violation of Yemeni airspace, and that Saudi Arabia has been enforcing the air embargo on Yemen since 2015 by a United Nations decision.
Back to war
According to Al-Shalfi, the Houthis’ escalation against Saudi Arabia is linked to the failure to achieve their demands, following several rounds of talks they held with the Yemeni government and the Saudi side regarding economic issues.
According to Al-Shalfi, the United States refuses to let the Houthis hand over any sums of money or open airports and ports to them, especially because of their support for the “axis of resistance,” represented by the Gaza Strip, Iran, and Hezbollah.
The Houthis’ escalation against Saudi Arabia appears – according to Al Jazeera’s Yemeni affairs editor – in the threatening statements they issue and in their attempts to mobilize tribes for what they describe as “readiness to expel the occupation,” in reference to Saudi Arabia.
Al-Shalfi expects a major escalation, and perhaps a return to war in the coming period, given the Houthi movements, in addition to the tribal gatherings taking place in Yemeni government areas and the equipment being prepared by the army.
Last month, the Houthis announced a state of readiness and general mobilization, and what they described as a “new field phase,” in response to the directives of the group’s leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.
The group’s Al-Masirah channel reported at the time that a new phase of military preparation and rehabilitation had been launched in the capital, Sana’a.
Since April 2022, Yemen has witnessed a relative truce on various fronts despite the continuation of intermittent clashes, without achieving any progress on the ground for any party. However, the lack of trust between the two sides may return the field situation to what it was before 2022, amid mutual threats, according to observers.
