Iranian Aircraft Lands in Yemen Amid Saudi Escalation

By Staff, Agencies

An Iranian civilian aircraft carrying medical patients, stranded Yemeni citizens, and the official Yemeni delegation returning from Tehran landed at Hodeidah Airport on Monday, marking the second such flight despite what Yemeni officials described as continued Saudi aggression and the blockade imposed on the country.

The flight followed the successful arrival of an Iranian aircraft at Sanaa International Airport on July 3, which transported more than 200 Yemeni citizens, including patients and passengers stranded abroad, along with the official Yemeni delegation returning from the funeral of the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei.

Commenting on recent developments, Ansarullah spokesperson Mohammad Abdul Salam condemned Saudi Arabia's bombing of Sanaa International Airport, describing it as a blatant violation of Yemen's sovereignty and a breach of the 2022 truce.

Abdul Salam said the attack was a continuation of Saudi Arabia's military campaign that began in 2015 with strikes on the same airport, arguing that it demonstrated Riyadh's role in maintaining the blockade imposed on Yemen.

He also accused Saudi Arabia of rejecting peaceful coexistence with Yemen and seeking to prevent the country from exercising independent sovereignty and decision-making.

According to Abdul Salam, Saudi Arabia has repeatedly delayed implementation of the agreed roadmap and rejected initiatives aimed at reopening Sanaa International Airport.

He held the Saudi government fully responsible for the latest attack, warning that it would face consequences and that the strike would not go unanswered.

The Political Bureau of Ansarullah also condemned the attack, describing it as a dangerous Saudi escalation intended to prevent the movement's delegation from returning to Yemen, although it said the objective ultimately failed.

The bureau stated that targeting Sanaa International Airport constituted a flagrant violation of Yemen's sovereignty and accused Saudi Arabia of implementing what it described as a US policy aimed at maintaining the blockade that has remained in place for more than a decade.

Separately, Ansarullah Political Bureau member Ali al-Qahoum warned that Yemen's response to the attack on Sanaa International Airport would be "strong and earth-shaking," stressing that retaliation would not be delayed and that efforts to break the blockade would continue regardless of the circumstances.

Al-Qahoum added that Saudi Arabia would bear full responsibility for the consequences of targeting civilian infrastructure and warned that the attack on the airport would have serious repercussions for Riyadh.