Yemeni Armed Forces: Iranian-Backed Houthi Missiles Pose Threat to International Civil Aviation
Yemeni Armed Forces: The terrorist Houthi militia is employing Iranian air-defense weapons, converted into loitering missiles and using novel technologies and tactics, posing a serious threat to international civil aviation routes and civilian aircraft.
The Official Spokesperson of the Yemeni Armed Forces, Staff Colonel Majed Abdullah Al-Nuzaily, stated that the Armed Forces have recently detected the terrorist Houthi militia’s use of Iranian air-defense weapons employing novel technologies and tactics. With the assistance of experts from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) operating on Yemeni territory, these weapons have been converted into loitering missiles launched from Hodeidah Governorate toward international air routes over the southern Red Sea. These missiles are capable of loitering for up to 25 minutes per missile and operate using a heat-seeking guidance system. They can engage any heat source without the ability to distinguish between military and civilian targets. This poses a direct and serious threat to the safety of civil aviation and the lives of passengers, including aircraft operated by the United Nations and humanitarian and relief organizations using these air routes to and from Yemen and across the region.
Staff Colonel Al-Nuzaily noted that this dangerous escalation coincides with threats made by Mohammad Mokhber, Adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, and Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, to target and disrupt aviation services in the region following sanctions imposed on Iranian airline aircraft.
The Official Spokesperson stressed that threatening the airspace over the southern Red Sea and turning it into a threat zone for civilian aircraft and passengers constitutes an extremely dangerous escalation. Its implications extend beyond the safety of Yemeni airspace and directly affect the safety of international airspace. He further underscored that the use of these Iranian weapons from Yemeni territory represents a direct threat to international air-navigation routes and cannot be regarded as a purely domestic Yemeni matter. Rather, it constitutes a threat to international security and aviation safety, requiring a responsible and firm response, as well as appropriate action by the relevant international bodies, foremost among them the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
