Houthi TV reports Saudi airstrikes on Sanaa airport
Aden, July 13
Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV said Monday that Saudi Arabia launched several airstrikes on the runways of Sanaa International Airport in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital.
Yemen's armed forces urged the immediate evacuation of the airport.
The strikes came as an Iranian passenger plane carrying a Houthi delegation was heading toward the Yemeni Houthi-controlled airport from Tehran.
There was no immediate confirmation from the Saudi side, and the extent of the damage remains unclear, Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier in the day, Yemeni Defence Minister Taher Al-Aqili warned in a televised statement that the armed forces would engage any hostile aircraft violating Yemeni airspace.
The Iranian passenger plane is the same one that landed at Sanaa International Airport on July 4, carrying more than 200 Yemeni patients and stranded passengers from Tehran. It later departed for the Iranian capital with a senior Houthi delegation that travelled to attend the funeral ceremonies of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
On July 3, the Houthi group said that its air defence forces intercepted Saudi warplanes which allegedly entered Yemeni airspace to prevent an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at Sanaa International Airport.
The Houthi delegation has insisted on returning aboard the same Iranian aircraft, rejecting the government's proposal to facilitate its return on a different, non-Iranian plane operating under government supervision.
On Sunday, the Houthi group warned Saudi Arabia and Yemen's government against intercepting the flight.
The development comes amid an intensified Houthi mobilisation campaign in recent days, with the group organising tribal gatherings, armed rallies and public demonstrations across areas under its control while renewing calls to end what it describes as a Saudi-led blockade.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized control of Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year in support of the internationally recognised government.
— IANS
Reader Comments
This whole situation is a mess. The Houthis using an Iranian plane to shuttle delegations, and the Saudis bombing the airport. Typical Middle East politics where civilians suffer. India has good relations with both Saudi and Iran, so why aren't we mediating? We have the diplomatic muscle for it.
The Yemen conflict has been going on since 2014, and it's heartbreaking to see. These airstrikes on Sanaa airport are just brutal. The Houthis may be wrong but bombing infrastructure won't solve anything. If Saudi wants peace, they need to talk instead of dropping bombs.
As someone who follows West Asia closely, this is clearly about Iran-Saudi rivalry 🇮🇷🇸🇦. The Houthis are just a pawn for Iran to threaten Saudi borders. And the Saudi coalition is using airstrikes as a pressure tactic. But targeting an airport with civilian traffic is a violation of international law. India must condemn this.
I don't understand why the Houthis are so adamant about using an Iranian plane. Couldn't they just take a different flight? It feels like they're provoking Saudi Arabia deliberately. Both sides need to stop the grandstanding and think about the Yemeni people who are starving because of this war.
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