Yemen strikes Sanaa airport to block Iranian plane
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- Yemen's internationally-recognised government struck Houthi-controlled Sanaa airport on Monday (July 13, 2026), described as its biggest flare-up with the rebels in years.
- The government said it targeted the airport runway to prevent an Iranian plane from landing, after failing to convince a Houthi delegation — travelling to Tehran for the late Iranian Supreme Leader's funeral — to board a Yemenia flight instead.
- Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree accused Saudi Arabia of "ending the de-escalation phase" and warned that "this aggression will not go unanswered or unpunished."
- Yemen's Defence Ministry justified the strike by accusing the Houthis of "allowing an Iranian plane to violate Yemeni territory; consequently, the airport runway was targeted."
- The escalation threatens to unravel a truce that has held since 2022 despite expiring, and comes amid heightened US-Iran tensions affecting Gulf traffic and the Strait of Hormuz.
Why it matters: A strike at a civilian airport — targeting a runway to ground an Iranian flight — collapses Yemen's longest-running de-escalation framework (in place since 2022) and drags a Saudi-blamed attack into an already volatile US-Iran theater where Gulf shipping and Strait of Hormuz traffic are under strain. Houthi promises of retaliation raise the prospect of renewed missile and drone exchanges in the same airspace.
