Armed Forces Spokesman: Houthi Militia Using Iranian Air Defense Weapons Threatening Civil Aviation

September Net

Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Col. Majed Al-Nuzaili said the Armed Forces had recently detected the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist militia using Iranian air defense weapons with advanced technologies and tactics against a number of civilian aircraft after converting them into “cruise missiles” launched from Al-Hodeidah Governorate toward international air routes in the southern Red Sea.

In a statement, Col. Al-Nuzaili said the missiles remain in a loitering mode for up to 25 minutes each and use thermal tracking systems, attacking any heat source without the ability to distinguish between military and civilian targets.

He said that this poses a direct and serious threat to the safety of civil aviation and lives of passengers, including those aboard United Nations and humanitarian and relief organization aircraft using these air routes to Yemen and the region.

He added that this dangerous escalation coincides with threats issued by Iranian Supreme Leader’s adviser Mohammad Mokhber and Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei to target and disrupt aviation services in the region following sanctions imposed on Iranian airlines.

Col. Al-Nuzaili stressed that threatening the airspace over the southern Red Sea and turning it into a danger zone for civilian aircraft and passengers represents a highly dangerous escalation that goes beyond the safety of Yemeni airspace to threaten the safety of international airspace.

The spokesman warned that the use of these Iranian weapons from Yemeni territory poses a direct threat to international air routes and cannot be regarded as a purely Yemeni domestic matter. It constitutes a threat to international security and safety that requires a responsible and firm response from the relevant authorities, particularly the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Air Transport Association.