Middle East — 2026-07-13

Saudi Arabia Strikes Sanaa Airport to Block Iranian Plane as Houthis Declare Ceasefire Ended

BLUFHouthi retaliation against Saudi territory or Red Sea shipping is likely within 14 days of the Sanaa strike, reopening the maritime threat the 2022 truce had suppressed.

Saudi-led coalition airstrikes hit Sanaa International Airport on Monday, with Yemen's internationally recognized government saying the runway was struck to stop an Iranian Mahan Air plane from landing 12. Defense Minister Gen. Taher al-Aqili said the aircraft was carrying a Houthi delegation returning from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral in Tehran and warned Saudi forces would confront any aircraft "violating Yemeni airspace and sovereignty" 13. Houthi spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the strike ended the "de-escalation phase" in place since 2022 and vowed retaliation, while the group's foreign ministry accused Saudi Arabia of restarting the war 34. The Houthis said the diverted plane landed safely at Hodeida Airport 14; Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council said it had denied Iran's request to fly the delegation into Sanaa, and the government ordered all Yemeni airports closed and the Sanaa airport area evacuated 3. Saudi Arabia had not acknowledged the strikes as of Monday 13.

Analysis
The declared end of the 2022 de-escalation phase makes at least one Houthi strike on Saudi territory or Red Sea shipping likely within 14 days of the Sanaa airport strike. Saree's explicit retaliation vow and the foreign ministry's declaration that Saudi Arabia restarted the war signal policy intent, reinforced by the group's pre-2022 record of missile and drone strikes against Saudi targets. Renewed strikes would reopen the shipping-lane risk the 2022 truce suppressed and force Riyadh to weigh further military action against the cost of collapsing Grundberg's UN mediation track. High confidence in this assessment reflects convergence between separate Houthi military and political statements, both naming retaliation as declared policy rather than isolated rhetoric.
7 sources
  1. Saudi Arabian airstrikes hit Sanaa International Airport, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen say - NBC News
  2. Houthi rebels in Yemen say Sanaa International Airport is hit by Saudi strikes - The Washington Post
  3. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen say Saudi airstrikes hit Sanaa international airport - Associated Press (via WSLS)
  4. Yemen Houthis say Sanaa airport bombed, declare end to truce with Saudi Arabia - Middle East Eye
  5. Yemen's Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of striking Sanaa airport: What to know - Al-Monitor
  6. Saudi Arabia Strikes Houthi Airport in Yemen to Prevent Landing of Iranian Plane - Haaretz
  7. Yemen rebels announce 'end of de-escalation phase' after Sanaa airport strikes - The National

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