BY TYLER DURDEN
MONDAY, JUL 13, 2026 – 08:55 AM
Renewed conflict continues to be potentially breaking out over Yemen, as on Monday Saudi Arabia struck the runway of the Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport, amid growing allegations that Iranian flights have increasingly made use of Yemen’s airspace.
The Saud-backed Yemeni government which has long been locked in a civil war for the country’s future has singled out the Houthi rebels for hosting Iranian flights, warning that its "patience has run out" and that it will respond to any airspace violations.
Illustrative prior image of an Iranian passenger plane operating at Sanaa airport, after over the years direct flights from Tehran have taken place over Saudi objections. via AP"The Yemeni legitimate government, in cooperation with the regional and international community, and by all diplomatic and legal means, has tried to convince the Iranian regime and the Houthi coup militias in Sana’a to return to the armed forces and not to penetrate the Yemeni airspace with the Iranian planes," an official statement said.
Residents of the Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa have reported seeing warplanes flying overhead, after Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah channel indicated the strikes targeted the airport’s landing and takeoff runways.
"In an unjust aggression, the Saudi enemy carried out several airstrikes against Sanaa International Airport," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree responded. "The Saudi aggression against Sanaa airport has ended the phase of de-escalation, and it must bear the consequences of its aggression," he added.
Another senior Houthi official, Hazem al-Assad, also threatened in follow-up remarks: "The Saudi regime will discover that it has dug its own grave."
The Iranian plane in question reportedly hasn’t been hit or damaged, and was safely diverted to Yemen’s Hodeidah International Airport.
The "internationally recognized" Yemeni government has long been propped up by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the US, after a lengthy half-decade long UAE/Saudi/US coalition air war failed to dislodge Houthi power. The pro-Saudi government operates out of Aden in southern Yemen, after the country’s president fled there a decade ago.
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