Yemeni Army: Houthi militia uses weapons that threaten the safety of international civil aviation

The official spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Colonel Majid al-Nazili, warned on Saturday that the Houthi militia is threatening the safety of international civil aviation by using “Iranian” air defense systems from Yemeni territory.

In a statement, al-Nazili said that the armed forces had recently observed the Houthi militia employing Iranian air defense weapons with innovative technologies and tactics, which were directed against several aircraft and converted into cruise missiles launched from the Al-Hudaydah governorate toward international air routes south of the Red Sea.

He explained that these missiles remain in flight for up to 25 minutes per missile, operate using infrared homing guidance, and attack any heat source without the ability to distinguish between military and civilian targets.

He noted that this poses a direct threat to the safety of civil aviation and the lives of passengers, including United Nations aircraft and those of humanitarian and relief organizations that use these air routes in Yemen and the region.

He called for a responsible and firm stance and for measures by relevant authorities, foremost among them the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), regarding the use of these weapons from Yemeni territory and their threat to international air routes.