According to the Jerusalem post, on Monday July 13, 2026, according to Yemen’s internationally recognised government, an Iranian plane was unable to land at Sana’a International Airport because of an attack on the runway there. The airport is under Houthi control.
The declaration signifies yet another intense escalation in the protracted struggle in Yemen, which is becoming more intertwined with the larger regional animosity between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Even before the government acknowledged the operation, anti-Houthi media sources claimed that Saudi aeroplanes were responsible for the strike. Over the course of Yemen’s civil conflict, Saudi Arabia—the primary military backer of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC)—has launched multiple operations targeting Houthi strongholds.
The attack was subsequently claimed by the Yemeni Defence Ministry to have been carried out by Yemeni soldiers.
In addition to the military action, the ministry issued a stern warning to both Tehran and the Houthis, stating that their “patience has run out” and that if they violate Yemen’s airspace, the ministry would retaliate.
A ministry official said, “The Yemeni Armed Forces have stated that they belong to the Yemeni people in particular and to the Yemeni people in general.”
According to the ministry, “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.”
Near the airport, Sana’a residents heard what sounded like three airstrikes. Military planes buzzed overhead.
The runway was not the end of the tense situation. According to Moamar al-Eryani, Yemen’s Minister of Information, the Houthis arrested the captain and co-pilot of an ICRC plane at Sana’a airport and detained them. His words: “a dangerous escalation and blatant violation of international humanitarian law.”
The Houthis vowed retaliation. Following the strikes, spokesperson Yahya Saree declared, “The response will be decisive.” He later added, “This aggression will not pass without a response and punishment,” arguing that the attack was “bringing an end to the de-escalation phase” in the group’s confrontation with Riyadh.
The Iranian plane finally touched down at Hodeidah International airfield, another airfield controlled by the Houthis, according to the Fars News Agency, which is connected with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Each fresh confrontation in Yemen has the potential to draw neighbouring nations further into the conflict, highlighting how the country is still a major front in the broader regional fight…See_More
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