Saudi Coalition Warns Houthis After Airport Threat

Walla posted at 02:05 IDT that the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen warned it would respond firmly and with "unprecedented force" to any attempt to strike the kingdom. Ajel and Al-Marsd quote coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki saying the Houthi statement tried to distract from the militia's abuses in Yemen, and that the coalition would defend Saudi citizens, national assets and Yemeni sovereignty. The warning followed Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree's claim that Saudi jets tried at 05:20 to block an Iranian civilian plane carrying more than 200 stranded, wounded and sick Yemenis from landing in Sanaa. For Israel, the episode shows Tehran's proxy network still uses aviation threats and regional pressure even during diplomacy, so deterrence from Yemen to Lebanon cannot go passive.