Yemen vows reprisal after Saudi strike on Sana’a airport
Airport attack spells ‘end of truce, start of new war phase’
Yemen’s Ansarullah resistance movement pledged to retaliate on Monday after Saudi Arabia launched heavy air strikes on the international airport in the capital Sana’a.
Yahya Saree, the movement’s military spokesperson, lambasted the attack as "blatant aggression" and said the belligerent move had ended a period of de-escalation in the long-running conflict between the two neighbors. Saree said Saudi Arabia would bear the consequences and that the attack would not go unanswered.
The defense ministry of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, which is based in the south of the country, confirmed on Monday the targeting of the runway at Sana’a International Airport to “prevent an Iranian plane from landing.”
The ministry claimed that Ansarullah had prevented Yemeni national aircraft from landing at the airport in the capital, while insisting on allowing an Iranian plane to what it called “violating Yemeni territory.”
Yemen’s Al-Masirah TV reported that, "Saudi aggression targeted the departure and landing runways at the Sana’a International Airport.”
Yemen’s Foreign Ministry condemned in a statement Saudi Arabia’s attack, saying that the strike marks the end of the truce and the beginning of a new phase of war.
The ministry also “expressed the gratitude, appreciation, and recognition of the Republic of Yemen—leadership, government, army, and people—to the Islamic Republic of Iran for its great and courageous stance in breaking the siege imposed on Sana'a International Airport.”
The statement added, “This sincere humanitarian step is held in high esteem and appreciation, and will remain in the hearts of the Yemeni people.”
Tensions had been rising for days, as the Ansarullah accused Saudi Arabia earlier this month of attacking an Iranian plane that landed in Sana’a and took off carrying a delegation.
The resistance movement had threatened at the time to hit Saudi airports and vital assets should Riyadh violate its airspace or attempt to attack it again.
The latest escalation raised the specter of renewed attacks after years of relative calm.
After years of fighting between a Saudi-led coalition and the Ansarullah movement, that triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, a 2022 truce has largely held.