Yemen says targeted Sanaa airport to stop Iranian plane, accuses Houthis of detaining ICRC aircraft

Yemen's Defence Ministry said its armed forces targeted the runway at Sanaa International Airport in an effort to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing.

According to Reuters, the ministry's statement comes amid heightened regional tensions and renewed scrutiny of activity at the airport in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital.

Sanaa, Yemen's capital, has been under the control of the Iran-aligned Houthi group for years, while the internationally recognised government operates from the southern city of Aden with the backing of Saudi Arabia and several Gulf states.

The development drew a sharp response from the Houthis, who accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out air strikes on Sanaa International Airport.

The Houthi movement, which controls northern Yemen, said the attacks marked a dangerous escalation and warned of retaliation.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree described the strikes as “blatant aggression” and said they had ended a period of de-escalation in Yemen's long-running conflict.

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He said Saudi Arabia would bear the consequences of the attack and that it would not go unanswered.

There was no immediate response from Saudi Arabia to the accusations.

Meanwhile, Yemen's Information Minister accused the Houthis of detaining an aircraft belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at Sanaa airport.

According to the minister, the group is also holding the aircraft's pilot and co-pilot.

The allegations could further deepen tensions surrounding operations at Sanaa airport, which has frequently been at the centre of disputes between the Houthis and Yemen's internationally recognised government.

Yemen's government said on Monday that it ordered all airports in the country to shut after it struck the one in Sanaa.

"The Civil Aviation and Meteorology Authority (CAMA) hereby informs all airlines and international organisations operating flights to and from the airports of the Republic of Yemen that all airports in the Republic of Yemen are closed until further notice, with immediate effect," it said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Yemen has faced civil war and proxy warfare from outside powers for more than a decade, since the Houthis seized the capital and forced the internationally recognised government to relocate to the south.

Earlier on Monday, the government's defence minister had said it had exhausted diplomatic efforts to persuade Iran and the Houthis to stop what he described as Iranian aircraft violating Yemeni airspace.

He said government forces would respond to any hostile aircraft violating Yemen's airspace "by all available means", and held Iran responsible.

With inputs from agencies