Houthis Threaten Attacks on Airports and Ports of Saudi Arabia and UAE

Following the blockade of Yemen's ports and airports by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Iranian-backed Houthis threatened on Tuesday, November 7, to attack these two countries with weapons. According to a report by Agence France-Presse, the political office of the Houthi rebels issued a statement declaring: "All airports, ports, border crossings, and significant areas in Saudi Arabia and the UAE will be direct targets of our weapons, which is a legal right." The statement emphasized that Saudi Arabia and the UAE "should be assured that our weapons are capable of targeting them." Saudi Arabia and the UAE are part of a coalition that has been trying to restore the Yemeni government by weakening the Houthi Shia rebels since 2015. The new statement from the Houthi political office comes a day after the coalition announced that all borders of Yemen were closed. The United Nations reported on Monday that the Saudi coalition prevented two flights carrying humanitarian aid from entering Yemen. The closure of Yemen's borders follows the successful interception by Saudi forces of a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis towards King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, on Saturday. Several senior Saudi officials have accused Iran of being involved in this missile attack, and a day after Iran denied this, Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, reiterated his country's position, accusing Iran of "direct military aggression" through the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Despite Iran's denials, the U.S. Department of Defense praised Saudi Arabia on November 6 for what it described as "exposing" Iran's role in transferring missile systems to Houthi militants in Yemen. The Houthis' threat to attack the airports and ports of the UAE comes a day after the Kayhan newspaper, whose responsibility lies with Hossein Shariatmadari, a representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, headlined "The missile launch by Ansar Allah towards Riyadh, the next target is Dubai." Although this headline faced significant criticism among Iranian officials, Kayhan maintained its previous stance in its lead story on Tuesday morning, stating: "National interests lie in supporting the oppressed in Yemen, not in worrying about Dubai's towers." The United Nations has called for the reopening of Yemen's borders by the Saudi-led coalition. Meanwhile, the United Nations has urged the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia to reopen the country's crossings as soon as possible to allow humanitarian aid to reach Yemen, warning that seven million people in Yemen are facing conditions similar to famine. Agence France-Presse reported this news on Tuesday (November 7) citing the UN Human Rights Office. A spokesperson for this office in Geneva told reporters that if entry routes to Yemen are not reopened, the situation for people currently living in the worst humanitarian conditions in the world will be catastrophic. The spokesperson also stated that the Arab coalition has requested the UN to have its humanitarian aid ships leave the port of Hodeidah in Yemen, which he said is the "backbone" for sending this aid to the country. Meanwhile, this office states that shipments containing fuel, food, and medicine must enter Yemen as soon as possible. According to the report, following the closure of entry routes to Yemen, fuel prices in the country have increased by more than 60%, and the price of cooking gas has also doubled. Last month, the United Nations placed the Saudi-led military coalition on its blacklist for allegedly "killing or injuring 683 Yemeni children" during the conflict in the country. The organization also stated that the Arab coalition has attacked 38 schools and hospitals. According to the United Nations, nearly 5,300 people have been killed and more than 8,800 injured in Yemen's civil war.