Yemen’s Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of striking Sanaa airport: What to know

Yemen’s internationally recognized government said on Monday that its armed forces struck the runway at Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing on Yemeni soil.

What happened: In a brief statement cited by the official SABA news agency, the Aden-based Yemeni Ministry of Defense accused the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group of preventing a Yemeni national aircraft from landing at the capital’s airport and allowing an Iranian plane to enter Yemeni airspace.

“Therefore, the airport runway was targeted,” the ministry said.

According to local reports, the Iranian Mahan Air aircraft changed course and landed at the nearby Hodeidah Airport, which is under the control of the Houthi group. The plane was carrying Houthis coming back from the funeral procession of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint US-Israeli strikes at the start of the Iran war on Feb. 28.

Earlier on Monday, the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of bombing the Sanaa airport following reports of explosions in the Yemeni capital.

In a post on X, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree denounced what he described as “a blatant and unjust act of aggression” carried out by Saudi Arabia.

He said the attack has effectively ended the “de-escalation phase,” referring to an agreement signed between the group and the Saudi-aligned Aden government in July 2024. 

“It must bear the consequences of its aggression,” he warned, vowing that this attack “will not go unanswered and unpunished.”

In a statement, the Houthi-run Foreign Ministry based in Sanaa condemned “in the strongest terms the barbaric Saudi aggression against Sanaa Airport,” calling it a “blatant violation of Yemen's sovereignty, stability, and territorial integrity.”

The ministry called on the international community and the UN Security Council to condemn the attack, which it said violated UN charters and conventions that prohibit targeting civilian airports.

The ministry also praised Iran for breaking the blockade imposed by the Saudi-led military coalition on the Sanaa airport since 2015 by successfully transporting the delegation participating in Khamenei’s funeral.

Saudi Arabia has not commented on the reports. Al-Monitor has reached out to the Saudi Foreign Ministry.

Why it matters: The attack in Yemen coincides with renewed hostilities between Iran and the US, after heavy fire was exchanged over the weekend and into Monday. The US military said Monday that it launched precision munitions at dozens of targets in Iran, including air defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities.

Iran responded by launching a series of drone and missile attacks at US military bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman and Qatar.

In a Sunday statement, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the continued Iranian attacks in the neighboring Gulf countries, reiterating its “categorical rejection of Iran’s violation of the sovereignty of states and its continued threat to the security and stability of the region.”

The escalation threatens a fragile memorandum of understanding signed between the two sides on June 17, calling for an end of hostilities on all fronts.

The war had drawn the wider Middle East region, including the Gulf, into the conflict, as Iran’s proxy groups, namely Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis, joined the fighting in support of Tehran, launching repeated attacks toward Israel.

The Houthis claimed several barrages of ballistic missiles fired toward Israel throughout the war, mainly targeting the southern city of Eilat. But the attacks stopped after the MoU was reached.

Meanwhile, though the group said it stopped its attacks on merchant shipping following the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire, some recent attacks have been reported at vessels in the Red Sea. On July 5, a cargo ship came under attack by unknown armed assailants southwest of the Houthi-controlled Hodeidah seaport. No group claimed responsibility at the time.

The Houthi rebels had carried out numerous missile and drone attacks against Israeli-linked vessels passing through the vital Red Sea and Gulf of Aden maritime routes since November 2023 in support of the Palestinian Hamas group, which had been engaged in a devastating war with Israel in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.

Know more: On July 3, the Houthis' military spokesperson claimed that Houthi air defenses fired missiles at Saudi aircraft that had entered Yemeni airspace to prevent an Iranian plane from landing at the Sanaa airport, forcing them to withdraw.

According to him, the plane was carrying 200 passengers, including Yemeni citizens who had been stranded and injured in Iran. The aircraft was eventually able to land at the airport before departing for Tehran, carrying the Houthi delegation that participated in Khamenei’s funeral.

The Saudi-led military coalition responded, saying the Houthi statements were ⁠an attempt to “divert attention” from the group’s “violations” against the Yemeni people.

“The coalition will respond with unprecedented determination and force to any and all attempts to target the kingdom, its citizens and residents and national assets, or any attempt to violate the sovereignty of the brotherly Republic of Yemen,” a coalition spokesperson said in a statement July 4.

Yemen has been embroiled in political and security chaos since the Houthis took over the capital Sanaa and expelled the internationally recognized government in 2014. The conflict worsened after Saudi Arabia intervened in support of the government in 2015.