Gov’t says its forces carried out a strike at Sanaa airport to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing there. Published On 13 Jul 202613 Jul 2026Yemen’s internationally recognised government says its forces have carried out a strike at Sanaa airport to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing there.The Yemeni capital, Sanaa – and much of northern Yemen, including the port city of Hodeidah on the country’s western Red Sea coast – is controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, while the government, which has the backing of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, is based in Aden on the southern coast.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list“The Houthi terrorist militia, supported by the Iranian regime, prevented Yemeni national aircraft from landing at the capital’s airport, Sanaa, and insisted that the Iranian aircraft violate Yemeni airspace. Therefore, the airport runway was targeted,” the government said in a statement on Monday.Earlier, the Defence Ministry warned civilians, workers, diplomatic missions and humanitarian organisations to evacuate the airport and its surroundings immediately until further notice.The Houthis said they would respond to the attack, blaming it on Saudi Arabia, without providing evidence.Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree warned that “this aggression will not go unanswered or unpunished”.There was no immediate comment from Saudi authorities.Tensions have been rising since the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia earlier this month of attacking an Iranian plane that landed in Sanaa and took off carrying a Houthi delegation.The rebels had threatened at the time to hit Saudi airports and vital assets should Riyadh violate its airspace or attempt to attack it again. Advertisement The latest escalation raised …
