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Sanaa strike, Abha retaliation
Iran-backed Houthis who control northern Yemen accused Saudi Arabia of launching air strikes against Sanaa International Airport, and they retaliated by launching missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport on Monday.
“Topic:Unrest, Conflict and War Mon 13 Jul 2026 at 11:23pm Smoke in the air after an air strike hit the Sanaa International Airport”
The internationally recognized government in Yemen said its armed forces targeted the runway at Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing, after a dispute over an Iranian plane carrying a Houthi delegation.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree called the attacks on Monday "blatant aggression" and said it had ended a period of de-escalation in the long-running conflict.
Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport attack was described by AP as a sharp escalation, and AP reported that no casualties were reported.
In the same reporting, the U.N. Security Council met on the developments and Khaled Khiari told the 15-member council, "Yemen and the wider region cannot afford another cycle of escalation."
Warnings, accusations, and UN
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree warned airlines against flying through Saudi airspace, saying the warnings should be taken “seriously until the blockade on Sanaa International Airport is lifted.”
In a video statement, Saree also warned that “this aggression will not go unanswered or unpunished,” after the Houthis said Saudi strikes hit Sanaa International Airport earlier in the day.
Yemen’s defense minister Gen. Taher al-Aqili said on X that the airport’s runway was struck to stop the plane carrying the Houthi delegation after attending the funeral of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The internationally recognized government in Yemen said the strikes that hit Sanaa International Airport were meant to prevent an Iranian plane from landing, and AP reported that the Houthis vowed to retaliate for the strike.
AP said U.N. officials expressed concern about the risk of a wider escalation during an emergency meeting on Monday afternoon, with Khaled Khiari urging “constructively engage in negotiations under UN auspices.”
Truce risk and regional stakes
France 24 reported that the latest escalation threatens to upend a frozen conflict and comes as the truce holding since 2022 faces renewed pressure.
“Yemen’s Houthis strike Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport with missiles and drones in a sharp escalation Yemen’s Houthis strike Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport with missiles and drones in a sharp escalation CAIRO (AP) — The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport on Monday in response to airstrikes they blamed on Saudi Arabia that struck Sanaa International Airport earlier in the day”
AFP quoted Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree saying, "In response to this criminal Saudi aggression, the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a military operation targeting Abha International Airport," using ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.
France 24 also reported that the head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, said he had "ordered that the scope of the confrontation not be expanded" after the strikes on Sanaa airport.
The U.N. special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said his office was monitoring Yemeni airspace developments and expressed concern about the risk of wider escalation, calling for dialogue that preserves the “relative calm Yemen has experienced since 2022.”
In parallel, NBC News reported that the Yemeni Defense Ministry issued orders to evacuate the airport and surrounding areas, and Rashad al-Alimi said Iran had requested a flight by Iranian airline Mahan Air from Tehran to Sanaa to return the Houthi delegation.
