CAIRO (AP) — Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are reporting that Saudi airstrikes struck Sanaa International Airport on Monday. The internationally recognized Yemeni government confirmed the strikes, saying they were carried out to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing at the facility.
The conflict between the two sides has been ongoing for years. A Saudi-led coalition operating out of Yemen’s southern region, which includes the internationally recognized government, has been engaged in a prolonged fight against the Houthis, who control much of the country’s north.
Saudi Arabia did not immediately confirm that it had conducted any airstrikes in Yemen, and government officials there did not respond to requests for comment.
Gen. Taher al-Aqili, the defense minister for Yemen’s internationally recognized government, posted on X that the airport’s runway was targeted specifically to stop a plane carrying a Houthi delegation that had been in Iran attending the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Before the strikes were carried out, al-Aqili released a video warning against allowing Iranian aircraft to enter Yemeni airspace. “At this moment, we say that our patience has run out. Accordingly, we will respond appropriately to this treacherous and brutal act, and we will confront and deal with the hostile aircraft violating Yemeni airspace and sovereignty by all available means,” he stated.
According to the Houthis, the plane altered its flight path and touched down instead at Hodeida Airport. No immediate reports of damage at Sanaa International Airport were available.
Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree posted on Telegram that Saudi Arabia’s actions marked what he described as an “end to the de-escalation phase.” He added that “this aggression will not go unanswered or unpunished.”
Yemen’s defense ministry ordered the evacuation of the airport and surrounding areas following the strikes.
Rashad al-Alimi, the head of Yemen’s ruling Presidential Leadership Council, said Iran had requested to operate a flight through Iranian airline Mahan Air, traveling from Tehran to Sanaa, to bring the Houthi delegation back home.
