Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they launched missiles and drones targeting Saudi Arabia's Abha International Airport on Monday, hours after blaming Saudi airstrikes for hitting Sanaa International Airport in a sharp escalation of tensions.
No casualties were immediately reported from either attack.
Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the group carried out the strike in retaliation for what it described as Saudi attacks on Sanaa airport. He also warned commercial airlines against using Saudi airspace until what he called the blockade on Sanaa International Airport is lifted.
Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on the reported strikes. However, the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, later said Saudi air defenses had intercepted ballistic missiles launched toward the kingdom's southern region without providing further details.
Earlier in the day, Yemen's internationally recognized government said the strike on Sanaa airport was intended to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing. Yemeni Defense Minister Gen. Taher al-Aqili said the airport runway was targeted to stop an Iranian plane from returning a Houthi delegation from Tehran following the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to the Houthis, the Iranian aircraft was diverted to Hodeida Airport instead.
The Yemeni government also announced the closure of all airports across the country until further notice and ordered the evacuation of Sanaa airport and surrounding areas.
The Presidential Leadership Council said it had rejected Iran's request to allow a Mahan Air flight from Tehran to Sanaa, accusing the Houthis of attempting to receive the aircraft outside established civil aviation procedures.
The latest exchange marks the most serious confrontation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia since a UN-brokered truce took effect in 2022, ending years of frequent cross-border attacks.
The developments prompted an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, where UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Khaled Khiari warned against a renewed cycle of violence.
"Yemen and the wider region cannot afford another cycle of escalation," he said, urging all parties to return to negotiations under UN mediation.
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg also voiced concern over the deteriorating situation and called for dialogue to preserve the relative calm that has largely held since 2022.
Yemen's civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention the following year in support of the internationally recognized government.