The Sanaa airport strike targeting an Iranian plane has sharply escalated Saudi-Houthi tensions. Yemen’s government said it hit the runway, while the Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia and launched missiles toward the kingdom.
The Sanaa airport strike targeting an Iranian aircraft has triggered a dangerous escalation between Yemen’s Houthi movement and Saudi Arabia, threatening a period of relative calm that had largely held since 2022.
The Iran-aligned Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of attacking Sanaa International Airport on Monday, July 13, 2026. Yemen’s internationally recognized government offered a different account, saying its forces struck the runway to prevent an Iranian plane from landing.
Houthis launch missiles toward Saudi Arabia
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree described the runway attack as Saudi aggression and warned that it would not go unanswered.
Saudi Arabia later said its air defenses intercepted ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis toward the kingdom’s southern region. The reported missile attack marked a significant escalation beyond the group’s initial threat of retaliation.
Saudi authorities had not publicly accepted responsibility for carrying out the airport strike in the initial reports.
Iranian plane diverted to Hodeidah
Yemen’s Saudi-backed government said the runway was targeted after efforts to prevent the Iranian flight from entering Yemeni airspace failed.
The aircraft was diverted to Hodeidah airport, a Houthi-controlled facility on Yemen’s Red Sea coast. The flight reportedly carried Houthi representatives returning from Iran.
Government officials accused the Houthis of violating aviation procedures. The Houthis, who control Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, rejected the government’s authority over the flight.
Yemen airport closures announced
Yemen’s aviation authorities ordered airports across the country closed until further notice following the runway attack. No schedule for restoring normal air traffic was immediately announced.
Yemen’s information minister also accused the Houthis of detaining an International Committee of the Red Cross aircraft and its crew at Sanaa airport. That allegation had not been independently verified in the initial reports.
Fragile Saudi-Houthi truce faces new test
Large-scale direct fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition declined after a United Nations-brokered truce took effect in 2022, although a permanent political settlement was never reached.
The latest airport strike and missile launches could undermine those de-escalation efforts. Further attacks on airports, Saudi territory or Iran-linked flights could disrupt civilian aviation, complicate peace negotiations and intensify instability around Yemen and the Red Sea.
