Yemen at risk of getting dragged back into war as Saudis and Houthis exchange airstrikes

CAIRO (AP) — A truce that ended nearly a decade of war in Yemen has mostly held since 2022. It is being severely tested four years later, as tensions tied to the war in Iran risk spilling over.

The civil war in Yemen that began in 2014 eventually pitted Iran-backed Houthi rebels against a Saudi-led coalition supporting the country’s government. While the Iran war that began on Feb. 28 reignited all sorts of regional rivalries, the peace between the Houthis and Saudis had mostly prevailed -- until Monday.

That’s when Houthis launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport in response to airstrikes on Sanaa International Airport earlier in the day that they blamed on Saudi Arabia. No casualties were reported, but it was the most significant confrontation between these enemies in years, raising fears that they could be moving closer to another war.

Yemen, one of the world’s poorest countries, is still recovering from the civil war that plunged parts of the nation into famine.

Here’s a closer look at the renewed tensions:

Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen and forced the government into exile.

A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year to try to restore the government to power. The country is now divided between the Houthi-controlled north and a southern region mostly ruled by the internationally recognized government.

Tensions began to flare earlier this month when the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of trying to prevent an Iranian plane from carrying a Houthi delegation to Tehran for the funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

When the plane returned to Yemen on Monday, Saudi Arabia attacked the Sanaa airport to prevent it from landing, the Houthis said. The plane was diverted and landed safely at another airport.

Saudi Arabian officials did not respond to a request for comment about the airstrikes in Yemen.

Rashad al-Alimi, who leads Yemen’s internationally recognized government, said it had rejected a request from Iran to return the Houthi delegation. He accused the rebel group of receiving the Iranian flight “outside the legal and sovereign frameworks governing civil aviation.”

On Tuesday, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the Houthis are prepared to confront any violation of Yemen's airspace; he said on Telegram that the group downed a Saudi reconnaissance aircraft at dawn in Al Bayda province in central Yemen.

Ahmed Nagi, a senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, said Monday’s exchange of fire was about more than a single Iranian flight.

Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s internationally recognized government viewed the flight as an attempt to weaken their control over Yemen's airspace.

The Saudi-led coalition imposed an air and sea blockade on Yemen in 2015 to put pressure on the Houthis. By allowing a direct international flight to land without the approval of the Saudi-led coalition, the Houthis were seeking to establish a new reality in which they could independently make decisions over Yemen’s airspace and end what they view as a blockade of the international airport.

“The Houthis were testing a new red line. If they succeeded, they could become more emboldened, raise their demands, and seek to cross additional red lines,” Nagi said.

Farea al-Muslimi, a research fellow at the Chatham House think tank in London, said Saudi Arabia has so far shown restraint in the broader U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. But it is far less likely to stay on the sidelines when it perceives its influence in Yemen, which borders Saudi Arabia to the south, to be under threat.

It is too early to say whether Monday’s confrontation will lead to further escalation or was just an isolated incident.

But Abdel-Bari Taher, a political analyst in Yemen, said the country’s fragile security and economic landscape provides fertile ground for renewed conflict and regional power competition.

“The region now is in a state of an all-out confrontation," he said. "Yemen provides a conflict-prone environment because it’s divided with militias fighting each other and lacks full control over its maritime and airspace.”

Yemen also risks getting dragged into the broader conflict.

The Iran-backed Houthis have carried out numerous missile attacks against Israel throughout the war — and the rebel group has a history of attacking ships in the Red Sea, disrupting international trade.

Taher said Iran might try to use its Houthi allies as a way to gain negotiating leverage against the U.S. An interim ceasefire is on life support as the U.S. and Iran fight for control over the Strait of Hormuz, and the risks are rising of a return to all-out war.

FILE - Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree speaks at a rally against the U.S. and Israel in Sanaa, Yemen, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman, File)

Houthi supporters shout slogans as they demonstrate against airstrikes on Sanaa International Airport in Sanaa, Yemen, Monday, July 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

This image taken from video broadcast by Al-Masirah TV, a Houthi-controlled news channel, shows an explosion at the Sanaa International Airport compound during what the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said were several Saudi airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Monday, July 13, 2026. (Al-Masirah TV via AP)

Houthi supporters walk in front of posters of some top Iranian scientists who have been killed in Israeli strikes, in Sanaa, Yemen, Monday, July 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — India finally won on its tour of the United Kingdom after handing England its first one-day international defeat at Edgbaston in 12 years on Tuesday.

England fought back from 107-6 to be 258 all out but couldn't defend it. A calm and collected India paced the run chase superbly and reached 262-4 to win by six wickets with 28 balls remaining.

The victory revives what has been a dismal tour for India. The Twenty20 world champion was blanked in that format by Ireland in Belfast 2-0 and by England 4-0, surrendering its No. 1 ranking.

But ODI reinforcements in the shape of captain Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jaspit Bumrah and Lokesh Rahul — many of whom hadn't played for weeks — proved too good for England at the start of a three-match series.

The only blemish for India was Gill retiring hurt on 80 due to cramps. Gill was well poised for his third century in his last five internationals for India until he hobbled off. He said he should be available for the second ODI on Thursday in Cardiff.

“We were put under pressure but how we bounced back was important,” Gill said. “The conditions were similar to South Africa (which hosts the 50-over World Cup next year) — not easy for the batsmen with the new ball, it was kicking up. The wicket then settled nicely.”

The target was hardly taxing but India's risk-free run chase had to overcome a couple of wobbles.

Openers Sharma and Kohli were dismissed cheaply inside the first nine overs.

Gill restored confidence with a fifty from 51 balls, including 30 from boundaries. When he retired hurt on 80 from 75, India suffered another wobble of three wickets in 15 deliveries.

Shreyas Iyer was run out on 35 by Harry Brook and Rahul played on to Josh Tongue.

But allrounders Washington Sundar and Axar Patel recovered the momentum with constant singles that wore down England hopes.

Sundar survived on 28 when the ball bounced off his pad and shoe and hit the stumps but didn't knock off a bail. He and the more aggressive Patel strolled home with an unbeaten partnership of 102 from a leisurely 105 balls.

Patel was 57 not out for his fourth ODI fifty while Sundar hit a career-best 52 with a winning six down the ground on one knee.

Patel was named the player of the match for also taking England's last four wickets. He's the sixth Indian man to get a fifty and a 4-for in an ODI and first since 2022 by Hardik Pandya against England in Manchester.

Patel broke the partnership that saved England's innings.

At 106-7, Liam Dawson joined Joe Root and they combined for 121 to lead England past 200.

Dawson earned his first career ODI fifty in his 10th match. Root followed with his 66th ODI fifty.

But spinner Patel got Dawson caught on the boundary on a career-best 68.

Patel was summoned again when seamer Gurnoor Brar couldn't bowl the 48th over, apparently injured in his run up. Patel took the last two wickets and stranded Root on a run-a-ball 76. And England left 13 balls unused.

Ben Duckett's 43 gave England a flying start after choosing to bat but his wicket alongside fellow opener Jacob Bethell and Brook in the span of six balls ultimately cost the host.

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India's Axar Patel bowls during the first ODI cricket match between England and India in Birmingham, England, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (Gary Oakley/PA via AP)

India's Shubman Gill bats during the first ODI cricket match between England and India in Birmingham, England, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (Gary Oakley/PA via AP)

India's Washington Sundar hits a six during the first ODI cricket match between England and India in Birmingham, England, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (Gary Oakley/PA via AP)

India's Axar Patel celebrates his fifty during the first ODI cricket match between England and India in Birmingham, England, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (Gary Oakley/PA via AP)