Yemen's Houthis claim drone strike on Saudi airport

Yemen's Houthi group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a drone attack on Najran airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia, saying it was in response to alleged Saudi drone incursions into Yemeni airspace.

In a statement on social media platform X, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the drone attack targeted a "sensitive" location at the airport and achieved a "precise hit."

There was no immediate comment from Saudi authorities on the Houthi claims.

The developments come amid rapidly escalating tensions between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. On July 20, the group announced what it described as a maritime ban on Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea, citing an alleged Saudi blockade on Houthi-held areas.

Since then, the Houthis have claimed multiple missile and drone attacks on Saudi-linked vessels in the Red Sea and energy sites, while the Saudi-led coalition has resumed air strikes on what it described as key Houthi military targets in Yemen.

The renewed hostilities have heightened concerns over security in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, raising the risk of a broader military confrontation after years of relative calm in Yemen.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.