Air strikes on Monday hit the international airport in Sanaa, the Houthi-held capital of Yemen, according to the Houthis and the country's exiled government, a development that the rebels say will end a de-escalation phase in the civil war.
The Ministry of Defence of Yemen's internationally recognised government said it attacked the runway to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing on Yemeni soil.
The Iran-backed Houthis took over Yemen's capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting intervention by a Saudi-led coalition the following year, at the request of the internationally recognised government.
“The Houthi terrorist militias, supported by the Iranian regime, prevented Yemeni national aircraft from landing at the capital's airport, Sanaa, and insisted that the Iranian aircraft violate Yemeni airspace. Therefore, the airport runway was targeted,” the ministry said in a statement.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree, in a statement, accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out Monday's strikes. “We affirm that this aggression will not go unanswered and unpunished,” he said.
The group added that the attacks ended the de-escalation phase, and it said that Saudi Arabia “must bear the consequences of its aggression”. There was no immediate comment from the Saudi-led coalition.
Before the explosions, the Yemeni Ministry of Defence told local people, diplomatic staff and humanitarian workers to immediately leave the airport and its surroundings.
Last week, Yemen's government said its forces repelled a Houthi assault south of the port city of Hodeidah, claiming they inflicted heavy casualties on the Iran-backed group in the most violent clashes in years.
Although a UN-brokered truce in 2022 significantly reduced large-scale fighting, sporadic clashes have continued.
The latest confrontation comes after the Houthis renewed threats to attack airports and other vital infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen's internationally recognised government.
Earlier this month, an Iranian envoy visited the rebel-held capital of Yemen, in what the Houthis called the start of direct flights between Sanaa and Tehran.
The Houthi-run Saba news agency posted photos of the Iranian ambassador Ali Razaei in Sanaa. The airport has been largely destroyed and considered out of action since Israeli strikes in May, after the Houthis launched an attack towards Israel.
On July 3, the Houthis said their forces confronted Saudi “warplanes” that they said attempted to prevent an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at the airport.
The Iran-aligned group warned that they will attack “Saudi airports and vital interests on land and sea” if the Saudis continue what Mr Saree called breaches of Yemeni airspace.
Flights between Sanaa and Tehran will continue despite any “possible consequences”, he added.
