Yemen draws a hard line in the skies imposes a new equation
Yemen draws a hard line in the skies, imposes a new equation
TEHRAN — The desperate Saudi bombardment of Sana’a International Airport on July 13 has backfired, exposing the deep panic of the Riyadh, Washington, and Tel Aviv axis.
Saudi warplanes bombed the runway to block a civilian Mahan Air flight carrying an Ansarullah delegation back from the funeral of Iran’s martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
This followed a July 3 incident where Yemeni air defenses forced retreating Saudi jets to abandon their attempt to intercept the same aircraft.
Meanwhile, a deadly July 5 operation south of Hodeidah eliminated over a dozen Saudi-backed mercenaries, proving Yemeni resolve remained lethal. By targeting vital civil aviation infrastructure, Riyadh seeks to hold millions of sick and stranded civilians hostage.
Yet, Riyadh’s attempt to restore the siege was immediately humiliated as the defiant Iranian aircraft bypassed the damaged runway to land safely at Hodeidah International Airport.
Many ecstatic Yemenis rushed to the tarmac, waving national and Palestinian flags to celebrate this physical rupture of the air blockade.
Re-writing the rules of deterrence
Hours after the Sana’a bombing, the Yemeni Armed Forces launched a retaliatory strike on Abha International Airport, neutralizing its operations with a coordinated wave of ballistic missiles and drones.
This swift strike ended the de-escalation phase that had stalled since 2022 due to Saudi procrastination and bad-faith delays in paying salaries and lifting restrictions.
The target was chosen with deliberate proportionality, showing that any blow to Sana’a will be met with immediate pain on Saudi soil.
On July 14, Yemen’s armed forces issued a direct warning to global airlines to avoid Saudi airspace, effectively establishing a de facto no-fly zone.
Yemeni Military Media has released coordinates under the banner “The response is coming.” The footage mapped the vulnerability of major hubs like King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah, and King Fahd Airport in Dammam, alongside massive maritime lifelines like the Jazan, Jeddah Islamic, and King Fahd Industrial ports, as well as the Ras Tanura refinery.
Yemen’s capabilities are fundamentally different from 2022. In past confrontations, operations targeting Abqaiq and Khurais were executed with far older technology.
Equipped with hypersonic missiles and precise solid-fuel rockets tested in Red Sea operations supporting Gaza, Sana’a can now inflict catastrophic damage.
This military evolution highlights the complete failure of the U.S.-led “Operation Prosperity Guardian.”
Having failed in its military misadventures in the region, Washington may have pushed Riyadh to reignite the domestic conflict. Senior Yemeni officials have warned that if Riyadh persists, Yemen’s military will shut down the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
A popular mandate against imperialism
The aggression triggered a massive wave of grassroots fury, drawing millions to armed rallies in Sana’a’s Al-Sabeen Square and the revolutionary heartland of Saada.
For Saada, a province that still remembers the horrific 2018 Saudi-U.S. school bus bombing that murdered 40 children, this is a deeply personal fight against a system that has weaponized famine and blockade for over a decade.
The ongoing general mobilization across Sana’a, Al-Hodeidah, Dhamar, and Hajjah proves that this resistance is a collective, grassroots phenomenon.
Popular anger has matured into organized defiance under Sayyid Abdul Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi’s general mobilization decree, uniting powerful tribes like the Uzr to prepare for total liberation.
Axios reports that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sought and received a green light from Donald Trump for the airport strikes, underscoring Riyadh’s subservience to the Western-Israeli agenda.
This highlights that the attack is also a proxy campaign in the broader U.S.-Israeli confrontation with Iran.
However, this axis has underestimated the strategic depth of the Resistance Front. Yemen’s military spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, publicly expressed gratitude to Iran for its unwavering diplomatic and humanitarian support.
In this new phase, Yemen has proven that the blockade is a paper tiger, and Riyadh must now choose between lifting the siege completely or watching its modern economic vision go up in flames.
source: tehrantimes.com