Iran: Tehran denies any involvement in the attacks by the Houthis

Yemen Iran denied on Friday any involvement in the attacks carried out by the Houthis in Yemen, following accusations from Saudi Arabia, which accused it of encouraging the recent intensification of the movement's operations against the kingdom. Since the resumption of fighting in Yemen in July, the Houthis, close to Tehran, have carried out multiple attacks against Saudi targets, including oil tankers in the Red Sea, oil facilities, and the international airport in Riyadh. An attack on the latter last week reportedly resulted in 13 deaths. A military coalition led by Saudi Arabia has supported the Yemeni government recognized by the international community for more than ten years. On Friday, it announced that it had intercepted new missiles and drones, as the kingdom faces a series of attacks claimed or attributed to the Houthis. The day before, the Saudi vice-minister for Foreign Affairs in charge of public diplomacy, Rayed Krimly, had stated that Iran had "encouraged" this escalation. Tehran rejected these accusations. "The Islamic Republic of Iran rejects any allegation that it played a role in the operations of the Yemeni forces (the Houthis)," said the spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baqaei, in a statement. "The Yemeni armed forces act according to their own interests and their own analyses. Such allegations are not credible in the eyes of those who know well the relations between Iran and its allies. Nevertheless, Iran does not consider that an escalation of tensions is in the interest of any party," he added. Rayed Krimly had also indicated that the Houthis rejected a meeting proposal in Oman at the beginning of the latest wave of hostilities. Esmaeil Baqaei, for his part, renewed Tehran's offer of mediation between the two parties, affirming that Iran "has always been ready to use its good offices to help end the hostilities." New Missiles and Drones Intercepted On Friday, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition announced the interception and destruction of three drones in southern Saudi Arabia and in Riyadh, as well as two cruise missiles over the Red Sea. "In the last few hours, we intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile over Yanbu," he also stated. This coastal city hosts the terminal of an important pipeline that transports Saudi oil to the Red Sea. The Houthis' attacks have intensified since the movement launched a lightning offensive in September, seizing strategic positions controlled by the Yemeni government along the Red Sea coast, near a vital passage for global maritime trade. This military pressure is exerted on Saudi Arabia, the world's leading oil exporter, while energy markets are already disrupted by Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, at the beginning of the war in the Middle East in February. Aden Airport Targeted Again Yemeni government forces launched a counteroffensive, supported by Saudi aviation, to recapture the territories seized by the Houthis. However, they have not yet managed to reverse the dynamic of the fighting. On Friday, the security office of Aden, the provisional capital of the Yemeni government, indicated that two missiles had fallen inside the airport's perimeter. This would be the second such incident in less than a week. No casualties were reported. In a statement attributed to a military source, the Houthis claimed that the attack targeted "the headquarters of the Saudi forces" as well as an arms depot. The Yemeni Ministry of Information indicated that an airplane from Yemenia Airways, providing the link between Aden and Cairo, had narrowly escaped impact. According to the ministry, the aircraft was preparing for takeoff when the Houthis fired two missiles at the airport. These missiles reportedly fell about 500 meters from the plane and at 01:00 Image stop of October 16, 2026: 35 dead in the collapse of a school in Pakistan 01:17 Saudi Arabia: Riyadh airport targeted by 20 Houthi attacks in 11 days 01:00 Image stop of October 13, 2026: Kabul back on the political front in DRC 01:08 The Houthis claim new strikes against Saudi airports 01:21 Djibouti: 139 migrants dead in the shipwreck of a boat from Ethiopia 00:58 IOM: more than 20,000 Ethiopian migrants entered Djibouti since September