Daijiworld Media Network - Sanaa
Sanaa, Oct 5: Yemen’s Houthi group on Monday warned international airlines against operating in Saudi airspace, saying the Kingdom’s skies could become a “theatre of operations” amid an escalating military confrontation between the two sides.
In a statement carried by the group’s Al-Masirah TV channel, the Houthi-run Humanitarian Operations Coordination Centre said the warning was directed at all airlines operating in Saudi airspace and was intended to safeguard civilian aviation and passengers.
The group claimed that Saudi military aircraft were carrying out attacks against Houthi-held areas in Yemen and that Saudi airspace should therefore be considered unsafe for civilian aviation, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The statement did not specify when or where potential Houthi operations could take place, nor did it identify particular airports or air corridors that could be affected.
Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to the warning.
The warning came as fighting in Yemen intensified sharply, with a Saudi-led coalition launching large-scale air operations on Monday and government forces announcing a “strategic offensive” against Houthi-held Sanaa.
The coalition said 100 fighter jets took part in “Operation Dawn of Yemen”, claiming that 324 Houthi targets had been destroyed since the campaign began.
Meanwhile, Yemeni government forces launched a counteroffensive on Monday against Houthi positions overlooking the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, seeking to reverse the group’s recent gains around one of the world’s busiest maritime chokepoints, a government military official said.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said government forces from the Giants Brigades advanced under air cover into Dhubab district in southwestern Taiz province, where fighting erupted around Houthi positions overlooking approaches to the strait.
“The forces are advancing on several fronts in Dhubab,” the official said, adding that government troops, backed by local tribal fighters, had recaptured several positions and cut a supply route used by the Houthis to reinforce their forces near Bab al-Mandeb.
Several Houthi fighters were also captured during the advance, the official said, without giving a number.
“The military operation is continuing, with Saudi-led coalition air cover supporting the ground forces,” he added.