Yemen airport strike escalates as Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia and vow retaliation

The Houthi movement in northern Yemen has accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out air strikes on Sanaa International Airport and said it would retaliate. The claim came after Yemen's internationally recognised government said its forces had targeted the airport runway in the Houthi-held capital. The two accounts describe the same airport as the focus of a fresh escalation in the country's long-running conflict.

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Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree described the attack as "blatant aggression" and said it had ended a period of de-escalation. He said Saudi Arabia would bear the consequences and that the strike would not go unanswered. There was no immediate response from Saudi Arabia to the accusation.

Earlier on Monday, the government in Aden said it had hit the runway to stop an Iranian aircraft from landing at the airport. The government said the aircraft was linked to a Houthi delegation and that it had exhausted diplomatic efforts to stop what it described as violations of Yemeni airspace. Its defence minister said government forces would respond to any hostile aircraft "by all available means" and held Iran responsible.

The information minister also 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. The airport is one of Yemen's most sensitive transport hubs because it sits in the capital controlled by the Houthis, while the internationally recognised government operates from Aden in the south. The dispute over the runway underlines how airspace, civilian aviation and access to key infrastructure remain contested in a war that has drawn in regional powers.

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Saudi Arabia backs the government in Aden, and the conflict has repeatedly involved proxy tensions beyond Yemen's borders. Yemen has been divided since the Houthis seized the capital and forced the recognised government to relocate south more than a decade ago. Since then, the airport in Sanaa has often been at the centre of political and military disputes because of its strategic and symbolic value.

The latest exchange also points to the continuing role of outside actors, including Iran, in the wider conflict narrative used by both sides. What remains unclear is the extent of any damage to the runway or airport operations, and whether flights or humanitarian movements were disrupted. It is also not yet clear whether the Iranian aircraft was airborne, diverted or prevented from landing.

The next developments to watch are any Houthi retaliation, further statements from the government in Aden, and whether the airport area remains restricted to civilians and aid organisations.

Yemen's internationally recognised government says its forces carried out a strike on the runway at Sanaa airport. The government said the attack was intended to stop an Iranian aircraft from landing at the airport in the Houthi-held capital. It also said the airport was targeted after the Houthis insisted that the aircraft should be allowed to enter Yemeni airspace.

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In a statement on Monday, the government described the Houthis as a militia supported by Iran. It said the airport runway was hit because the group had prevented Yemeni national aircraft from landing at Sanaa airport. The Defence Ministry had earlier warned civilians, workers, diplomatic missions and humanitarian organisations to evacuate the airport and the surrounding area immediately until further notice.

The strike adds to tensions around one of Yemen's most sensitive transport hubs. Sanaa, the capital, is under Houthi control, while the internationally recognised government is based in Aden on the southern coast and has backing from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. The airport has long been a point of contention in the conflict because of its strategic and symbolic importance.

The Houthis said they would respond to the attack and blamed Saudi Arabia, although they did not provide evidence for that claim. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the strike would not go unanswered or unpunished. The exchange comes against the backdrop of a wider war in Yemen that has repeatedly drawn in regional actors and left key infrastructure vulnerable to attack.

The government's account suggests the strike was aimed at preventing what it described as a breach of Yemeni airspace by an Iranian aircraft. That raises questions about the movement of flights into and out of Houthi-held territory, as well as the extent of outside support for the group. It also underlines the continuing split between the authorities in Aden and the de facto administration in Sanaa.

What remains unclear is whether the runway strike caused damage beyond the airport surface or disrupted any scheduled flights. It is also not yet clear whether the Iranian aircraft was in the air at the time of the attack or whether it was diverted. The next developments to watch are any Houthi retaliation, further statements from the government, and whether the airport area remains closed to civilians and aid groups.

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