Key facts
- Yemen's defense ministry announced its forces targeted Sanaa airport's runway.
- The action was taken to prevent an Iranian plane from landing.
- The Iranian plane carried a Houthi delegation and over 200 patients.
- Houthis claimed Saudi warplanes interfered with the Iranian aircraft's landing.
- Houthis warned of targeting Saudi airports and vital interests if airspace violations continued.
- Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes on Sanaa International Airport, which Houthis called an end to de-escalation.
Yemen's defense ministry announced on Monday that its armed forces targeted the runway at Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing. Sanaa is controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthi group.
The Houthis stated that Saudi warplanes had attempted to prevent the Iranian civilian aircraft from landing and warned they would target Saudi airports and vital interests if violations of Yemeni airspace continued. Flights between Sanaa and Tehran would proceed despite potential consequences.
An Iranian aircraft carrying a Houthi delegation to attend the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with over 200 patients, had arrived in Sanaa. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesperson, said on Telegram that Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes on Sanaa International Airport, which he called an “end to the de-escalation phase,” warning that “this aggression will not go unanswered or unpunished.” Orders to evacuate the airport and surrounding areas have been issued.
The Saudi-led coalition responded by calling the Houthi statements a diversion from their own violations against the Yemeni people and warned of a firm response to any attacks on the kingdom or breaches of Yemen's sovereignty.