Houthis say Saudi warplanes hit Sanaa airport in new raids

Attacks on airport and telecom site

Yemen's Houthi group said on Saturday that Saudi warplanes carried out four airstrikes targeting Sanaa International Airport, the latest in a series of attacks amid a surge in violence that has shattered months of relative calm. The Iran-backed rebels also reported that Saudi aircraft launched three additional strikes on a telecommunications network in Al Mahabishah, located in the northern province of Hajjah, according to Al-Masirah TV, which is affiliated with the movement.

Saudi officials and Yemen's internationally recognized government have not immediately commented on the claims. The reported attacks came as fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-led coalition forces has escalated dramatically since July, representing the most extensive clashes since a UN-brokered truce took effect in April 2022.

Prolonged conflict

The Arabian Peninsula's poorest nation has been mired in civil war since September 2014, when Houthi fighters seized control of Sanaa and forced the government into exile. A Saudi-led military coalition intervened in March 2015 to restore the internationally recognized government, launching thousands of airstrikes that have devastated civilian infrastructure across the country.

The conflict has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with millions facing severe food insecurity and displacement. The April 2022 truce had largely held until recent months, when renewed hostilities threatened to plunge Yemen back into full-scale war.