Yemen bombs Sanaa airport to stop Iranian plane from landing, Houthis blame Saudi

Yemen's internationally recognised government said on Monday that it carried out strikes on the runway at Sanaa International Airport in an attempt to stop an Iranian aircraft from landing. The incident marks a sharp escalation in Yemen's fragile conflict and comes amid growing tensions in Middle East involving Iran and its allies.

The defence ministry of Yemen said its armed forces deliberately targeted the runway at Sanaa airport to block the arrival of the Iranian aircraft. A military spokesperson later said the plane avoided the airport and landed safely at Hodeidah, another Houthi-controlled city on Yemen's Red Sea coast.

HOUTHIS BLAME SAUDI ARABIA

The Houthis, however, accused Saudi Arabia of launching airstrikes on Sanaa International Airport, rejecting the government's version of events.

According to news agency Reuters, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree described the strikes as "blatant aggression" and said they had shattered a period of relative calm in the conflict.

He warned that Saudi Arabia would face the consequences, saying the attack would not go unanswered.

The internationally recognised government, which operates from the southern port city of Aden and is backed by Saudi Arabia and several Gulf states, has not directly blamed Riyadh for the operation.

GOVERNMENT ACCUSES IRAN OF VIOLATING AIRSPACE

Earlier in the day, Yemen's defence minister said the government had exhausted diplomatic efforts to stop repeated Iranian violations of the country's airspace. He accused Tehran and the Houthis of ignoring mediation efforts and warned that government forces would respond to any aircraft entering Yemeni airspace without authorisation.

The minister said any hostile aircraft violating Yemen's sovereignty would be dealt with "by all available means" and held Iran responsible for the escalating situation.

The latest dispute follows repeated accusations by the government that Iran has been using flights to support the Houthis despite international efforts to reduce tensions.

IRANIAN PLANE LANDS DESPITE STRIKES

Despite the reported attack on Sanaa airport, an Iranian aircraft carrying a Houthi delegation from Tehran later arrived safely in Yemen, according to the APF.

Houthi broadcaster Al Masirah quoted the group's transport minister as saying: "The Iranian plane has landed on the homeland's soil, carrying a number of medical patients and stranded citizens, accompanied by the official delegation of the Republic of Yemen."

The broadcaster did not specify whether the aircraft landed in Sanaa or another airport. Earlier, the Yemeni military had said the plane had diverted to Hodeidah after the runway at Sanaa was targeted.

RED CROSS AIRCRAFT AT CENTRE OF DISPUTE

Moammar bin Mutahar Al-Eryan, information minister in Yemen's recognised government, also accused the Houthis of detaining an aircraft belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross at Sanaa airport.

He alleged that the group was holding the aircraft's pilot and co-pilot, though the Houthis have not publicly responded to the claim.

Yemen has remained divided since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, forcing the internationally recognised government to relocate to Aden. A Saudi-led coalition later intervened in support of the government, turning the conflict into a wider regional proxy war involving Iran.

Although a UN-brokered truce reached in 2022 significantly reduced large-scale fighting, the conflict has remained volatile. The Houthis have also launched attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, saying the operations are in support of Palestinians in Gaza.