Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of striking Sanaa airport; Yemen orders closure of all airports
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of striking Sanaa airport; Yemen orders closure of all airports")
Yemen’s armed forces targeted the runway at Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing. Photograph: (Screengrab from video on X)
The Yemen government’s defence ministry said that its armed forces had targeted the runway at Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing. The aircraft later landed at the Hodeidah airport, a Houthi-controlled facility..
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen on Monday accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out airstrikes at the Sanaa Airport in the capital to prevent a plane landing and vowed to retaliate. “In a blatant and unjust aggression, the criminal Saudi enemy carried out a number of airstrikes targeting Sanaa International Airport, thereby ending the period of de-escalation and bearing responsibility for the consequences of its aggression,” Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement, adding, “We affirm that this aggression will not go unanswered or unpunished.”
The Houthis who control northern Yemen also vowed to retaliate as Yahya Saree said regional power Saudi Arabia would bear the consequences.
The Saudi government did not respond to the accusations.
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Meanwhile, the general aviation authority of Yemen’s internationally recognised government ordered the closure of all airports nationwide to air traffic until further notice.
Earlier on Monday, the Yemen government’s defence ministry said that its armed forces had targeted the runway at Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing. The aircraft later landed at the Hodeidah airport, a Houthi-controlled facility.
The Yemen government operates from the southern port of Aden and has the backing of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.
‘Houthis have detained aircraft of International Committee of Red Cross’
Yemen has faced civil war and proxy warfare from outside powers for more than a decade, since the Houthis seized the capital and forced the government to relocate to the south.
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After years of fighting between a Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis, a 2022 truce has largely held, despite regional escalation during the Israel-Hamas war and Iran conflict when the Houthis fired on Red Sea shipping.
Yemen’s information minister Moammar bin Mutahar Al-Eryan said the Houthis have detained an aircraft belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross at the Sanaa airport and were holding its pilot and co-pilot.
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Targeted Sanaa Airport runway to stop Iranian plane landing: Yemeni military
Yemen’s defence ministry said that its armed forces targeted the runway at Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing.
Yemen’s capital Sanaa is also under the control of the Iran-aligned Houthi group.
Earlier on Monday, the government's defence minister had said it had exhausted diplomatic efforts to persuade Iran and the Houthis to stop an Iranian aircraft from violating Yemeni airspace. He said government forces would respond to any hostile aircraft violating Yemen’s airspace by all available means and held Iran responsible.
