Yemen government says attacked Sanaa airport, reviving dormant conflict
Yemen’s internationally-recognised government said it struck Houthi-controlled Sanaa airport on Monday (July 13, 2026), its biggest flare-up in years with the rebels, who blamed the
Yemen’s internationally-recognised government said it struck Houthi-controlled Sanaa airport on Monday (July 13, 2026), its biggest flare-up in years with the rebels, who blamed the authorities’ Saudi backers for the attack and threatened retaliation. The government said it had wanted to prevent an Iranian plane from landing in the capital, after failing to convince a Houthi delegation that went to Tehran for the late Iranian Supreme Leader’s funeral to board a Yemenia flight instead.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree accused Saudi Arabia of “ending the de-escalation phase” and warned that “this aggression will not go unanswered or unpunished”. The latest escalation threatens to
unravel a truce that has been holding since 2022 despite expiring, and comes at a time of heightened tensions as the United States and Iran trade attacks impacting the
Gulf and traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Yemen’s Defence ministry accused the Houthis of “allowing an Iranian plane to violate Yemeni territory; consequently, the airport runway was targeted”.
The BriefWire