Yemeni military warns of Iranian-made Houthi weapons targeting international air routes

Yemen's military has issued a warning that Houthi forces are using advanced Iranian-made air defense weapons, threatening international air routes over the southern Red Sea. These upgraded weapons, detected by Yemeni forces, are capable of targeting commercial flights and endangering the lives of passengers. Colonel Majid Abdullah Al-Nazili, a spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, revealed that the Houthi militia has been utilizing Iranian-made air defense weapons, modified by Iranian Revolutionary Guard experts, as cruise missiles launched from Hodeidah province towards international air routes.

These missiles can hover for up to 20 minutes, armed with heat-seeking technology that indiscriminately targets any heat source, regardless of whether it is military or civilian. Al-Nazili emphasized that these weapons pose a direct threat to civil aviation safety and the lives of travelers, including those on UN and humanitarian relief flights.

This warning comes as Iranian officials, including Mohammad Mokhber and Mohsen Rezaei, have threatened to target and disrupt aviation services in the region following sanctions imposed on Iranian airlines. The Yemeni military spokesperson stressed that the use of such weapons from Yemeni territory is not a local issue but a threat to international airspace safety, urging responsible action from organizations like the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Air Transport Association.