Yemen

Yemen's government strikes Sana'a airport runway to block Iranian Mahan Air flight

Yemen's Saudi-backed government said it struck the runway at Sana'a International Airport on July 13, 2026, to stop a Mahan Air flight from Iran from landing in the Houthi-controlled capital. Sana'a International Airport is the main airport serving Yemen's capital and the country's Houthi-controlled north. Mahan Air is an Iranian airline that had sought permission to fly a Houthi delegation home from Tehran. The Mahan Air Airbus A340-300 diverted to Hodeidah Airport on Yemen's Red Sea coast and landed there instead, according to officials from both sides of the conflict. Yemen's internationally recognized government said Iran had requested approval for the Mahan Air flight from Tehran to Sana'a. The government rejected the request and accused the Houthis of trying to bring the aircraft into the country without permission from Yemen. Yemen's Defense Minister Taher al-Aqili said government forces struck the airport runway after diplomatic efforts failed to stop the flight. The government operates from the southern city of Aden, while the Iran-backed Houthis control Sana'a. The Houthis said Saudi Arabia carried out the attack and warned that it would retaliate. Saudi officials did not immediately comment on their country's involvement. Footage broadcast by the Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah television network appeared to show bombs striking the airport compound and causing explosions. The flight was carrying Houthi officials who had traveled to Iran for the funeral of the country's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. An Iranian aircraft landed at Sana'a on July 3, and later carried the delegation to Tehran. The Houthis said more than 200 patients and other passengers were aboard the inbound flight. They also accused Saudi warplanes of trying to prevent the aircraft from landing, an allegation Saudi Arabia did not confirm. The July 13 flight was intended to return the delegation to Yemen. Rashad al-Alimi, who leads Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, said the government offered to bring the officials back aboard a Yemenia flight, but the Houthis insisted on using the Iranian aircraft. Yemen temporarily closed all of its airports after the strike before reopening them several hours later. The attack marked one of the sharpest escalations in years between the Houthis and Yemen's Saudi-backed government. A truce reached in 2022 sharply reduced fighting after years of war, although the agreement did not produce a permanent settlement. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the airport strike ended the period of de-escalation and "will not go unanswered." UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said he was concerned that the dispute could lead to a wider confrontation and urged both sides to preserve the relative calm in place since 2022. The Yemeni government said it would use "all available means" against aircraft that enter the country without authorization. It also held Iran responsible for what it described as repeated violations of Yemeni airspace. Neither side released the Mahan Air aircraft's registration or type. Authorities also did not identify the aircraft or weapon used to strike the Sana'a runway.