Army Spokesperson: Houthis Use Iranian Cruise Missiles Threatening Civil Aviation in Southern Red Sea
The armed forces have warned against the Houthi group's use of Iranian air defense weapons converted into cruise missiles, which they said target international air routes in the southern Red Sea and pose a direct threat to the safety of civil aviation, United Nations aircraft, and humanitarian organizations.
The official spokesperson for the armed forces, Colonel Majed Abdullah Al-Nazili, stated that the forces recently detected the Houthis' use of Iranian air defense weapons with innovative technologies and tactics. These were converted, with the help of experts from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Yemen, into cruise missiles launched from Hodeidah governorate towards international air routes in the southern Red Sea.
Al-Nazili explained in a statement that the missiles can loiter for up to 25 minutes, operate on a heat-seeking system, and attack any heat source without distinguishing between military and civilian targets, according to the statement.
He added that the use of these weapons threatens the safety of civil aviation and the lives of passengers, including aircraft from the United Nations and humanitarian and relief organizations that use air routes to Yemen and the region.
The military spokesperson linked this development to threats he said were made by the Iranian Supreme Leader's advisor, Mohammad Mokhber, and the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaee, regarding targeting and disrupting aviation services in the region following sanctions imposed on Iranian airlines.
Al-Nazili considered the threat to the airspace in the southern Red Sea and its transformation into a danger zone for civilian aircraft and passengers to be an escalation that goes beyond the safety of Yemeni airspace to threaten international airspace.
He stressed that the use of these weapons from Yemeni territory cannot be considered a local matter but, according to the statement, represents a threat to international security and safety.
The official spokesperson for the armed forces called on the relevant authorities, particularly the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Air Transport Association, to take a responsible and firm stance and measures to address these threats.
المصدر: Ministry of Defense
