Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani warned civil aviation authorities and international airlines of the Huthi group’s use of Iranian air defense weapons that have been converted into cruise missiles.
This threat could extend to international flight paths in southern Red Sea, he stressed, coinciding with escalating confrontations on the ground and the Yemeni leadership’s declaration of “general mobilization and national call to arms” against the group.
He said that the gravity of the alarming development revealed by the Yemeni army lies not only in the nature of the weapons used but also in their launch sites, particularly as they are being directed from Huthi-controlled areas toward international air corridors.
The minister recalled the 2020 downing of Ukrainian flight PS752 in Tehran—which claimed 176 lives—and called upon the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), aviation safety authorities, and airlines to incorporate this new development into their risk assessments for regional flight paths and to take action before an “aviation disaster” occurs.
The Yemeni Armed Forces had previously announced the detection of Huthi use of Iranian air defense weapons—reportedly converted into cruise missiles—launched from al-Hudaydah Governorate toward international flight paths in the southern Red Sea.
The Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Majed al-Nuzaili said that the Huthis employed these weapons using “innovative techniques and tactics,” noting that the missile is capable of loitering for up to 25 minutes and utilizes heat-seeking technology to target heat sources.
He added that these weapons, according to Yemeni army intelligence, lack the ability to distinguish between military and civilian targets; consequently, launching them along international flight paths poses a threat to civilian aircraft and passengers, as well as to planes operated by the United Nations and humanitarian and relief organizations.
Nuzaili called on the ICAO and the International Air Transport Association IATA to take the necessary measures to address potential risks.
These warnings come amidst escalating military tensions, following the announcement by the Coalition to Support Legitimacy that it had intercepted and destroyed two drones launched by the Houthis toward the Riyadh area, as well as a ballistic missile aimed at Khamis Mushait, in Saudi Arabia, according to Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki Al-Maliki.
The Huthis announced that a bridge in al-Makhadir district of Ibb Governorate had been struck by Saudi airstrikes.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states called on the international community to adopt a firm stance to put an end to the repeated terrorist attacks by the Huthis against Saudi Arabia.
General mobilization
In a speech marking the 64th anniversary of the September 26, 1962 Revolution, Rashad al-Alimi, Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, called for “general mobilization and a national call to arms.”
He urged Yemenis to rally behind the armed forces and security services and to join their ranks through official channels, with the aim of “restoring state institutions and extending sovereignty over all Yemeni territory, all the way to Sana’a.”
Alimi announced an opening for a safe return to the fold of the Republic and constitutional legitimacy, pledging a comprehensive amnesty—in accordance with constitutional and legal procedures—for anyone who abandons the Huthis and ceases fighting or working on their behalf.
He also promised to regularize the status of military and security personnel and preserve their legally acquired employment rights.
