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Runway strike in Sanaa
Yemeni government forces bombed the runway at Sanaa airport on Monday to stop an Iranian aircraft from landing, and the Houthis later fired ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia, raising fears of a fresh outbreak of violence.
The internationally recognised government said in a statement that "Therefore, the airport runway was targeted," and it warned civilians, workers, diplomatic missions and humanitarian organisations to immediately evacuate the airport and its surroundings.
Houthi broadcaster al-Masirah quoted the group’s transport minister as saying "the Iranian plane has landed on the homeland’s soil," carrying medical patients and a delegation of the Republic of Yemen.
The Saudi-led coalition for Yemen reported on Monday evening that it had intercepted ballistic missiles launched by the Iran-backed Houthis towards the southern region of the kingdom, with coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki posting on social media.
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg warned of the danger of escalation, saying his office was in contact with all sides to convince them to step back from the brink.
Retaliation threats and warnings
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree warned that "this aggression will not go unanswered or unpunished," after the government strike on Sanaa airport.
In response to the Sanaa attack, the Houthis said they targeted Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles and drones, and Anadolu Ajansi reported Saree’s claim that the operation "achieved its objectives successfully."
The Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said on Monday that "Air defences dealt with a threat of ballistic missiles launched by the terrorist Houthi militia" toward the southern region.
Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, said in a statement published by the Yemeni news agency Saba that his country "will not allow violations of its airspace or imposition of faits accomplis at Sana'a Airport" and ordered that the confrontation not be widened.
The Houthis also warned airlines against flying over Saudi airspace, urging them to take the warning seriously until what they described as the blockade on Sanaa International Airport is lifted.
Ceasefire at risk
The escalation threatened to unravel a truce that has been holding since 2022 despite expiring, with Daily Sabah describing the moment as the biggest flare-up in years.
Daily Sabah quoted Mohammed al-Basha of the U.S.-based risk advisory Basha Report saying that "it could effectively mark the collapse of the April 2022 cease-fire framework," if the cycle of action and retaliation continued.
The Houthis accused the Saudi-backed government of ending the de-escalation phase, while the Yemeni defence ministry accused the Houthis of "allowing an Iranian plane to violate Yemeni territory; consequently, the airport runway was targeted" in Sanaa.
Kurdistan24 said the strike pushed Yemen’s conflict into a new phase of confrontation around Sanaa International Airport, and it reported that AFP said the Iranian plane was "carrying a Houthi delegation back from Tehran."
With the dispute centered on access to Yemeni airspace and competing claims over Iranian flights, the sources framed the next days as decisive for whether the confrontation stays contained or expands into a broader regional conflict.
