Yemeni government forces launched an attack on the runway of Sanaa International Airport on Monday, July 13, 2026, according to reports from Anadolu Agency and Iranian media. The strike prevented an Iranian aircraft from landing in the Houthi-controlled capital, forcing it to divert and land instead at Hudaydah Airport on Yemen’s western coast. The incident has further complicated the country’s ongoing conflict.

Iran’s state-run Press TV reported that the attack on the runway prompted a change in the flight plan, leading the aircraft to Hudaydah. Earlier, Yemen’s Ministry of Defense accused Houthi rebels of blocking domestic flights from landing at Sanaa while allowing an Iranian plane to enter the country’s airspace, allegedly violating national sovereignty. The government claimed the runway strike was a response to that incident.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sari condemned the attack, warning that those responsible would face accountability and that the matter would not end without consequences.