Yemen's Sana'a Airport Attacked, Houthi Accuses Saudi of Being the Mastermind

ILLUSTRATION PHOTO/Sana'a, Yemen/DOK Rod Waddington from Kergunyah, Australia via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - The Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi rebel group accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out an air strike on the capital's airport, Sana'a, on Monday.

The Houthis warned the attack marked the end of a de facto truce with Riyadh that had lasted for years.

"In a blatant and insolent act of aggression, the criminal Saudi enemy has targeted Sana'a International Airport with a series of air raids, thus ending the de-escalation phase and bearing the consequences of its aggression," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a post on the X platform. reported by CNN, Monday, July 13.

"We stress that this aggression will not pass without a response and punishment," he continued.

In a separate statement, the Houthi Political Bureau said the attack reflected the level of hatred and criminality fostered by the Saudi regime - and America behind it - against the Yemeni people.

"This targeting comes in the context of the implementation of the US desire to maintain the unjust blockade imposed on our people for more than 10 years," he said.

It was reported that the Iranian plane that approached Sana'a airport on Monday was diverted to another airport in Hodeidah, also in the Houthi-controlled area of Yemen.

The Houthis are one of Iran's main allies in the region, and on several occasions since the start of the war between the US.

Meanwhile, Iran warned that they could take action to block the Bab al Mandab Strait, a vulnerable point at the southern end of the Red Sea.

The Red Sea has become more important for Saudi oil exports since Iran blocked traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, so any disruption there has the potential to trigger a rise in global oil prices.

The tensions come after more than four years of relative calm that began with a U.N.-mediated ceasefire in 2022 and was sustained by Saudi-Houthi direct talks after Riyadh and Tehran restored diplomatic ties the following year.