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
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