Iranian plane carrying Houthi delegation forced to land in Hodeidah after gov’t strikes on Sanaa airport

Sanaa, July 13 (IANS) An Iranian passenger plane carrying a senior Houthi delegation landed Monday in Houthi-controlled Hodeidah in western Yemen, after airstrikes claimed by the Yemeni Armed Forces hit Sanaa International Airport to prevent the plane from landing.

The Mahan Air aircraft landed in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah after it was prevented from landing in the Houthi-held capital, a military commander with the Houthi group said.

“Saudi warplanes also launched airstrikes on Hodeidah airport in an attempt to stop the aircraft from landing,” the source claimed.

Subsequently, Yemen’s internationally recognised government ordered the closure of all airports across the country and suspended civilian flight operations until further notice, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Yemeni Armed Forces claimed responsibility for the strikes on the Sanaa airport, saying it struck the runway, after the Houthis rejected government proposals for the Houthi delegation to return from Tehran aboard a non-Iranian aircraft under government supervision.

The Houthi delegation had travelled to Iran for the funeral ceremonies of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Earlier on Monday, Yemen’s Defence Minister Taher al-Aqili warned that the armed forces would intercept any “hostile aircraft” violating Yemen’s airspace, saying the government had exhausted efforts to persuade the Houthis and Iran to halt the “repeated violations” of the country’s sovereignty.

Local residents told Xinhua they heard multiple explosions in and around the Sanaa airport and saw plumes of smoke.

The Houthi group described the strikes as a major escalation, accusing Saudi Arabia, a main ally of Yemen’s government, of carrying out the strikes. The group’s military spokesperson, Yahya Sarea, said the attack “will not go unanswered,” while its political bureau said it marked the beginning of a “new phase” in confronting Saudi Arabia.

The latest escalation followed more than a week of mounting tensions between Yemen’s warring sides over direct flights between Tehran and Sanaa.

Last week, Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council called for an international investigation into an Iranian aircraft that landed in Sanaa, alleging it had transported Iranian military personnel, drone and missile specialists, and Yemeni trainees under the guise of a civilian flight. The Houthis rejected the allegations, insisting the flight was civilian in nature.

–IANS

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