Strikes hit Sanaa airport runways amid conflicting accounts
Shafaq News- Sanaa (Updated at 15:33)
Yemen's Defense Ministry said government forces deliberately targeted the runway at Sanaa International Airport on Monday to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing in the capital.
The ministry alleged that the Iran-backed Houthi movement (Ansarallah) had prevented Yemen's national carrier from operating at the airport while insisting on allowing the Iranian aircraft to land.
بيان القوات المسلحةلقد استهدفت القوات المسلحة اليمنية ( مدرج مطار صنعاء ) لمنع الطائرة الإيرانية من الهبوط في الأرض اليمنية.لقد منعت مليشيا الحوثي الارهابية المدعومة من النظام الايراني الطيران الوطني اليمني من الهبوط في مطار العاصمة صنعاء وأصر على ان ينتهك الإيراني أراضي… pic.twitter.com/4fGNCKZrKb
— المركز الإعلامي للقوات المسلحة اليمنية (@Yem_army_media) July 13, 2026
It further said the government had "run out of patience" over repeated Iranian violations of Yemeni airspace, warning that its forces would confront Iranian aircraft "by all available means.”
However, Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV reported that Saudi airstrikes hit the airport's takeoff and landing runways. The extent of the material damage and whether the strikes caused casualties were not immediately known.
Ansarallah declared that the attack had ended the de-escalation phase, saying Saudi Arabia would bear responsibility for the consequences and warning that the assault "will not pass without a response."
في عدوان ظالم وسافر أقدم العدو السعودي المجرم على استهداف مطار صنعاء الدولي بعدد من الغارات الجوية منهياً بذلك مرحلة خفض التصعيد وعليه تحمل عواقب عدوانه.نؤكد أن هذا العدوان لن يمر دون رد وعقاب.#الرد_قادم
— العميد يحيى سريع (@Yahya_Saree) July 13, 2026
Yemen's Transport Ministry in Sanaa (afilliated with the Houthis) condemned the strikes as “repeated crimes,” saying they targeted Sanaa airport despite prior warnings issued by the Houthis. It accused Riyadh of continuing the blockade of Yemen's airports and ports with US-Israeli backing and said the attack deprived thousands of patients and travelers of their right to travel.
The ministry called on the United Nations, the international community, and humanitarian organizations to act over the blockade imposed on Yemen for more than a decade.
Yemen's Foreign Ministry (in Sanaa) likewise accused Saudi Arabia of ending the de-escalation and ceasefire period by striking the airport, saying Riyadh would bear "full responsibility" for any resulting consequences. It also accused Saudi Arabia of maintaining an economic pressure campaign against Yemen, adding that the country would enter "a new phase" to secure its legitimate rights.
Transport Minister later told Al Masirah TV that the Iranian aircraft had landed in Yemen carrying several patients and stranded passengers, accompanied by an official Yemeni delegation.
