After the Houthi militants fired the Burkan-2 missile at Riyadh’s airport on November 4, the Saudi-led coalition tightened its blockade on the Yemeni territories held by the Houthi in response to that attack, saying it wanted to halt the smuggling of weapons from Iran.

In response to the UN warning that the blockade on Yemen could trigger the largest famine the world has seen for many decades, the Saudi-led coalition marginally eased the blockade, allowing humanitarian aid to be delivered to Houthi-controlled ports and airports.

Despite the gesture shown from a humanitarian angle, Saudi Arabia once again was attacked with another missile from beyond its borders. Houthi militants fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh on December 19, making it their second effort to fire missiles at civilian populated area in Riyadh.

The latest missile attack could compel the Saudi-led coalition to tighten the blockade once again. After the attack, already the coalition’s spokesperson accused the Houthi militants of using humanitarian entry points to import missiles from Iran.

Though blockade causes shortages of essential non-military supplies, lifting it ensures the Houthi militants get more missiles to fire at the population centres in the Gulf States, killing many civilians each time if missile-interception attempt fails.

Therefore, despite the sharp UN warnings that the Saudi-led coalition’s blockade on Yemen could trigger the largest famine the world has seen for many decades, Houthi’s missile attacks to Riyadh’s populated airport and residential area give some credence to the blockade. Easing the blockade primarily helps smuggling of weapons, including missiles from Iran, into Houthi-held Yemeni territories.