Iran plane lands in Riyadh as Yemen tensions rise

An Iranian government aircraft landed in Riyadh on Tuesday, marking a rare direct link between Tehran and the Saudi capital as tensions continue to rise between Saudi-backed Yemeni forces and the Iran-aligned Houthis.

The aircraft, operating under the callsign IRAN06, was tracked arriving in Riyadh on September 15, according to flight-tracking data. The callsign has previously been linked to flights carrying senior Iranian officials, including top military and security figures.

Flight-tracking observers associate IRAN06 with Iran’s armed forces chief of staff. Other Iranian government callsigns reportedly include IRAN01 for the supreme leader, IRAN02 for the president and IRAN05 for the foreign minister.

The significance of the flight remains unclear, and there was no immediate official explanation for the aircraft’s presence in Riyadh. Its arrival, however, comes at a particularly sensitive time as hostilities involving Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have intensified.

Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday that it would respond firmly to recent Houthi missile and drone attacks that reportedly wounded 13 civilians in the southern part of the kingdom.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for a large-scale operation involving dozens of ballistic missiles and drones targeting the King Khalid airbase in Khamis Mushait. The group said its targets included aircraft hangars, radar installations, runways and ammunition facilities.

Saudi authorities confirmed attacks on Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif and said they would take necessary measures to protect the kingdom’s sovereignty and deter further attacks. Saudi forces subsequently carried out retaliatory strikes, with the Houthis claiming that more than 50 strikes were conducted.

The escalation has also intensified concerns over the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait and shipping routes in the Red Sea.

Yemen’s National Resistance Forces, which support the internationally recognised government, claimed that the Houthis had mobilised more than 76,000 personnel during recent fighting along the western coast. The group also alleged that Iranian and Lebanese experts had been involved in the operations.

Iran has rejected accusations that it is directing the fighting in Yemen. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran does not interfere in Yemeni affairs and described the Houthis as an independent group that makes its own decisions.

The Houthis took control of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, triggering a prolonged civil war. Saudi Arabia began leading a coalition in support of Yemen’s government in 2015. Although fighting had eased considerably during a period of relative calm, renewed hostilities have once again raised regional security concerns.