Mon 13 Jul 2026 at 11:23pmMon 13 Jul 2026 at 11:23pmSmoke in the air after an air strike hit the Sanaa International Airport. (Reuters: Khaled Abdullah)In short:The Houthi movement that controls northern Yemen has accused Saudi Arabia of launching air strikes against the international airport in Sanaa.They retaliated by launching missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia's Abha International Airport.Earlier, Yemen's internationally recognised government said it struck Sanaa's airport, following a dispute over an Iranian plane carrying a Houthi delegation.The Iran-aligned Houthi movement that controls northern Yemen has accused Saudi Arabia of launching air strikes against the international airport in Sanaa.Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree called the attacks on Monday "blatant aggression" and said it had ended a period of de-escalation in the long-running conflict.He said Saudi Arabia would bear the consequences and that the attack would not go unanswered.In retaliation the Houthis announced they had targeted Saudi Arabia's Abha International Airport with ballistic missiles and drones.In a televised statement, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree warned all airlines against flying over Saudi airspace, urging them to take the warning seriously until what he described as the blockade on Sanaa International Airport is lifted.Earlier on Monday, the defence ministry of Yemen's internationally recognised government, which is based in the south of the country, said its armed forces had targeted the runway at Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing.Yemen has faced civil war and proxy warfare from outside powers for more than a decade, since the Houthis seized the capital and forced the internationally recognised government to relocate to the south.The government, operating from the southern port of Aden, retains the backing of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.Moammar bin Mutahar Al-Eryan, the information minister in the internationally recognised government, said the Houthis were detaining an aircraft belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross at Sanaa airport and holding its pilot and co-pilot.Earlier on Monday, the government's defence minister had said it had exhausted diplomatic efforts to persuade Iran and the Houthis to stop what he described as Iranian aircraft violating Yemeni airspace. He said government forces would respond to any hostile aircraft violating Yemen's airspace "by all available means", and held Iran responsible.Reuters