Houthi official threatens Saudi Arabia after attack on Iranian plane landing at Sanaa airport

Jul 14, 2026

A major escalation in Yemen threatens to reignite all-out war after Saudi-backed government forces bombed Sana'a airport on July 13, 2026, to block an Iranian Mahan Air flight. The Houthis retaliated by firing ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia's Abha Airport, breaking a four-year truce. Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti threatened a siege on Saudi airports and warned that the group could block the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, while Yemeni officials accused Iran of smuggling military experts and drone technology.

Houthi attack on Sana'a airport

▪Yemeni government forces, supported by Saudi Arabia, bombed the runway of the Houthi-controlled Sana'a International Airport on July 13, 2026.
▪The diverted Iranian Mahan Air flight eventually landed at the Houthi-controlled Hodeidah International Airport on July 13, 2026.
▪The strike on Sana'a International Airport was executed to prevent an Iranian Mahan Air flight carrying a Houthi delegation from landing.

Iranian flights to Houthi territory

▪An Iranian flight on July 3, 2026, was the first publicly announced Iranian flight to land in Sana'a in more than a decade.
▪Yemeni officials stated that the Iranian aircraft carried military equipment, drone and missile experts, and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel.
▪The Iranian aircraft frequently turned off its tracking systems while crossing Yemeni airspace.

Houthi threats against Saudi Arabia

▪Mohammed al-Bukhaiti stated that the Houthis are prepared to utilize their control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait as a strategic asset against hostile nations.
▪Mohammed al-Bukhaiti threatened to impose a siege on Saudi Arabia and strike Saudi airports in response to the Sana'a airport attack.
▪The Houthis fired a ballistic missile salvo targeting Abha International Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia on July 13, 2026.

UN Security Council responses

▪UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg called for swift de-escalation between the parties at the United Nations Security Council.
▪Yemen's Ambassador to the UN Abdullah al-Saadi characterized the unauthorized Iranian flights as an extremely dangerous precedent and a violation of sovereignty.
▪Russian representative Anna Evstigneeva argued that the Houthi-controlled airport remains essential for humanitarian operations and described the flight as strictly humanitarian.

Yemen civil war context

▪Houthi targeting of oil export facilities has severely strained the Yemeni government's budget, making it dependent on Saudi financial support to pay civil servants.
▪Yemen's internationally recognized government has operated with Saudi support since the Houthis seized control of Sana'a in 2015.
▪The Houthi missile strikes on Saudi Arabia broke a four-year truce that had maintained relative calm in the Yemeni civil war.

Houthi domestic pressures

▪The Houthis face domestic pressure and have utilized media campaigns to blame Saudi Arabia for Yemen's ongoing financial crisis and unpaid civil servant salaries.
▪Saudi Arabia offered to pay Houthi civil servant salaries through direct bank transfers, but the Houthis rejected the proposed payment mechanism.