Yemeni Armed Forces Launch Airstrike on Sana’a Airport to Prevent an Iranian Aircraft from Landing
On Monday, the Yemeni Air Force carried out an airstrike targeting the runway of Sana’a International Airport to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing on Yemeni territory, according to a statement issued by Yemen’s Ministry of Defense.
The Iran-backed Houthi movement acknowledged that a series of airstrikes had struck Sana’a Airport. Meanwhile, Yemen’s Ministry of Defense called for the immediate evacuation of the airport and urged civilians to stay away from the facility before it was targeted.
The ministry announced that “the Yemeni Armed Forces targeted the runway of Sana’a International Airport to prevent the Iranian aircraft from landing on Yemeni soil.”
In a brief statement, the ministry added: “The terrorist Houthi militias, supported by the Iranian regime, prevented Yemen’s national aviation from landing at the airport of the capital, Sana’a, while insisting on allowing an Iranian aircraft to violate Yemeni territory. For this reason, the airport runway was targeted.”
Earlier, Yemeni Defense Minister Lieutenant General Taher Al-Aqili stated that the Ministry of Defense would “confront and respond to any hostile aircraft violating Yemeni airspace and sovereignty by all available means, in order to teach the enemy a lesson that will be remembered far and wide and by future generations.”
In a separate statement, Al-Aqili explained that the Yemeni government, in cooperation with the regional and international community, had sought through all legal and diplomatic channels to persuade the Iranian regime and the Houthi militias in Sana’a to refrain from violating Yemeni airspace with Iranian aircraft.
He added that “this is not the first such violation; however, it differs from previous incidents in that it openly challenges international legitimacy.”
An Iranian aircraft had previously landed at Sana’a Airport on 3 July, transporting a Houthi delegation, senior movement officials, and technological equipment to Tehran before returning on Monday and once again entering Yemeni airspace.
Sana’a International Airport has gradually shifted from being a vital civilian facility serving the Yemeni population to functioning as a military logistical hub for the Houthis following the establishment of an air supply route with Tehran.
For years, the Houthi militias have used Sana’a Airport and its facilities for military purposes, including the movement of experts and equipment, while Yemeni patients and travelers have continued to endure difficult overland journeys because of the group’s blockade of several Yemeni cities and its closure of major roads.
According to this account, the militias have not only militarized the airport—which has been subjected to dozens of destructive airstrikes since 2015—but have also used the suffering of civilians as a means of political pressure on the international community while reserving the airport for the travel of their members and senior leaders, whether for medical treatment abroad or in support of what they refer to as the “Axis of Resistance.”
The Iranian flight between Sana’a and Tehran generated widespread reactions across Yemen. Activists and observers described it as an attempt by the Houthi movement and Iran to establish new rules of engagement with the internationally recognized Yemeni government and its regional and international allies.
