World
Yemeni military says it targeted Sanaa Airport runway to stop Iranian plane landing
Yemen’s defense ministry says that its armed forces targeted the runway at Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing.
Yemen’s capital Sanaa is under the control of the Iran-aligned Houthi group, while the internationally recognized government, which has the backing of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, operates out of Aden in southern Yemen.
Houthi movement accused Saudi Arabia of launching air strikes against the international airport in Sanaa, and vowed to retaliate, Reuters reported.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree called the attacks “blatant aggression” and said it had ended a period of de-escalation in the long-running conflict. He said Saudi Arabia would bear the consequences and that the attack would not go unanswered.
Yemen has faced civil war and proxy warfare from outside powers for more than a decade, since the Houthis seized the capital and forced the internationally recognised government to relocate to the south.
The government, operating from the southern port of Aden, retains the backing of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.
Moammar bin Mutahar Al-Eryan, the information minister in the internationally recognised government, said the Houthis were detaining an aircraft belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross at Sanaa airport and holding its pilot and co-pilot.
Earlier on Monday, the government’s defence minister had said it had exhausted diplomatic efforts to persuade Iran and the Houthis to stop what he described as Iranian aircraft violating Yemeni airspace. He said government forces would respond to any hostile aircraft violating Yemen’s airspace “by all available means”, and held Iran responsible.