Saudi Arabia said it intercepted ballistic missiles fired at the country's south by Yemen's Houthi terrorists on Monday after the group accused Riyadh of striking an airport they control, testing a years-long truce in the conflict between the two.
Saudi air defenses "have dealt with a threat from ballistic missiles launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward the southern region," the spokesperson for a Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said on X/Twitter.
Earlier Monday, the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of launching airstrikes against the international airport in Sana'a, and vowed to retaliate. The strikes were claimed by Yemen's internationally recognized government, which is heavily backed by Riyadh, where many of its members reside.
Houthi military spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Yahya Saree had called the attacks "blatant aggression" and said they had ended a period of de-escalation. He said Saudi Arabia would bear the consequences and that the attack would not go unanswered.
The Saudi government's communication office did not immediately respond to the accusations.
Sana'a Airport in Yemen targeted to prevent Iranian plane from landing
The Yemeni government's defense ministry said the runway at Sana'a International Airport had been targeted to prevent an Iranian plane from landing. An armed forces spokesman later said the aircraft had landed at Houthi-controlled Hodeidah airport.
It was unclear whether any attempt had been made to stop it from landing in Hodeidah, about 150 km. (93 miles) southwest of Sana'a, on Yemen's Red Sea coast.
Another minister said the Houthis were detaining another plane, belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross, at Sana'a airport.
The general aviation authority of Yemen's Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government briefly ordered the closure of all airports nationwide, before announcing hours later that they had reopened.