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

Aden, September 26 (KUNA) – The official spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Colonel Majid Al-Nazili, warned on Saturday that the Houthi militia poses a threat to the safety of international civil aviation by employing “Iranian” air defense systems from Yemeni territory. In a statement, Al-Nazili said that the armed forces had recently observed the Houthi militia using 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 clarified that these missiles remain in a cruising state for up to 25 minutes per missile, operate on a thermal tracking system, and attack any heat source without the ability to distinguish between military and civilian targets. He emphasized that this constitutes a direct threat to the safety of civil aviation and the lives of passengers, including United Nations and humanitarian and relief organizations’ aircraft that use these air routes in Yemen and the region. He stressed that threatening the airspace south of the Red Sea and turning it into a danger zone for civilian aircraft and passengers represents a highly dangerous escalation that extends beyond the safety of Yemeni airspace to undermine the safety of international airspace. 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. (End) S.N.S / S.A.M