Message from the Houthi group addressed to insurers and reinsurers warns Saudi airspace is an area of military operations until further notice
An email purporting to come from the Yemeni Houthis’ so-called Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC) has warned aviation insurers and reinsurers of the threat to aircraft in Saudi airspace.
The message, seen by GR, was dated 9 October, with the subject line “Hazard to Air Navigation in Saudi Airspace”.
Marked “Emergency — Immediate Action Required”, it was addressed to aviation insurers and reinsurers and urged them to take account of a warning issued to air operators.
The HOCC describes itself in the email as a body affiliated to the Office of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Sana’a-based Republic of Yemen – otherwise known as the Houthis.
The letter from the Houthi organisation said the communication was directed to the insurance market because of its role in aviation risk coverage, claims, risk assessment and mitigation.
The email stated: “The Yemeni Armed Forces have advised all air operators operating within Saudi airspace to exercise caution, as Saudi airspace will be considered an area of operations for missile forces.”
It said the warning applied across Saudi airspace with exceptions for the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Madinah.
The message linked the warning to the continuing conflict involving Yemen and Saudi Arabia and said the designation would remain in place “until the aggression and blockade against the Yemeni people come to an end”.
An Iranian-backed Islamist group, the Houthis control somewhere between one quarter to one third of Yemen. The US State Department reinstated its designation of the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organisation since March 2025.
The message to insurers came amid missile and drone attacks on airports in Riyadh and in the south of the country, causing hundreds of flights to be suspended, cancelled or diverted.
From 6 to 12 October 2026 several airports were attacked by missiles and drones.
The deadliest attack, at Riyadh’s King Khalid airport on 10 October, killed 13 people and injured 309, according to updated Saudi figures; another strike the following day killed one person and injured 11.
Houthi attacks have also targeted Saudi military sites and oil infrastructure, such as the Dharhan headquarters of Aramco, the majority state-owned petroleum company.
‘Kindly’ warning to insurers
The HOCC urged insurers and reinsurers to take its notice into account when assessing aviation risks.
“We kindly urge you to take this warning seriously,” the email said.
It added: “The Yemeni Armed Forces therefore disclaim all responsibility for any risks or consequences that may arise from air operators’ failure to remain clear of the airspace associated with the aforementioned areas.”
The notice said the warning would remain valid until further notice and that recipients would be informed of subsequent developments.
The message concluded by calling on the insurance market to “exercise due diligence and take all necessary care in all of your dealings”.
The email was signed by the Contingency Coordination Team of the HOCC in Sana’a (screen grabs are included at the bottom of this article).
Editorial analysis: Marine parallels
The warning to insurers that Saudi airspace is under threat by Yemen’s Houthis came amid recent attacks on airports in Riyadh and elsewhere in the country.
What is noteworthy is the tactic of direct outreach to aviation insurers underwriting Saudi risks, given that the Saudi economy is the wider target of recent attacks.
On its website, the HOCC says on 9 October it issued “a second warning today to air operators, confirming the aviation hazard in Saudi Arabian airspace”.
The letter to insurers appears to be part of the same initiative and fits with its previous activities.
The marine insurance market has prior experience of the HOCC as the same Houthi entity has attempted to flex unrecognised authority over international commercial shipping traversing the Red Sea, facing on-off Houthi attacks since November 2023.
Since 20 July 2026, the Houthis announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia.
Attacks on ships by Yemen’s Houthis have prompted the Lloyd’s Market Association’s Joint War Committee to widen its high-risk zone in the Red Sea.
The London market marine war insurance body said in its 29 July advisory that the newly extended listed area takes in more of the Red Sea coast adjacent to Saudi Arabian ports and reaches close to the Saudi port of Jizan.
The letter to aviation insurers appears in three screen-grabs below.
No comments yet