Yemen warns Saudi Arabia of targeting infrastructure if tensions escalate

Hizam al-Assad, a member of Ansarullah's political bureau, issued a warning to Saudi Arabia in a post on X on Saturday morning. He stated that the Saudi regime bears responsibility for the environmental consequences resulting from the burning of oil wells, transmission lines, tankers, refineries, oil exporting ports, stations, and petrochemical plants, as well as the suffering of the local population from intense blaze and thick plumes of smoke. Assad added that Yemenis, with God's grace, will reclaim their rights, break the tight siege imposed on their homeland, and avenge the pure blood of martyrs and broken hearts that have endured much suffering during the 11 years of aggression and blockade.

Tensions escalated on Monday when Saudi Arabia struck Sana'a International Airport to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing in the Yemeni capital. The aircraft was carrying an Ansarullah delegation that had traveled to Tehran for the farewell and funeral ceremonies of martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. The plane was diverted after the Sana'a airport was bombed and landed safely in the strategic port city of Hudaydah.

Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched the blockade on Yemen as part of a full-scale war on March 26, 2015, with military, political, and logistical support from the United States and other Western states. The war has killed tens of thousands of Yemenis while consistently falling short of its main objective of restoring power to Yemen's former Riyadh-friendly regime. Following a fragile UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022, the United States, Britain, and the Israeli regime carried out numerous acts of aggression against Yemen to cripple Sana'a's capability to stage solidarity strikes against Israeli targets in response to Tel Aviv's war of genocide on the Gaza Strip.

According to Mehr News and PressTV, the warning comes amid heightened tensions following the airport strike and ongoing conflict.