The flight on Monday, which made international headlines after it prompted strikes on Sana'a, was eventually able to land in the Houthi-controlled Hodeida International Airport.Follow us on GoogleSmoke rises following an airstrike after Yemen's defense ministry said that its armed forces had targeted the runway at Sanaa International Airport, in Sanaa, Yemen, July 13, 2026.(photo credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARDJULY 14, 2026 12:50Updated: JULY 14, 2026 13:19The attack on Sana'a International Airport during the attempted landing of an Iranian Mahan Air flight on Monday came as the Houthis grew increasingly emboldened in their violations of international law, according to statements by Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and international representatives at the United Nations Security Council on Monday.The flight on Monday, which made international headlines after it prompted strikes on Sana'a, was eventually able to land in the Houthi-controlled Hodeida International Airport. It was notably not the first Iranian aircraft to visit the war-afflicted country in recent weeks. Officials condemned a seemingly connected Iranian flight in early July which is understood to have transported a group of Houthi representatives to Tehran, where they held high-level meetings during the days-long funeral procession of Ali Khamenei.President Dr. Rashad Muhammad al-Alimi, chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council of Yemen, noted last week that an Iranian Revolutionary Guard aircraft had turned off its tracking system over Yemeni airspace, according to reports in Yemen’s state Saba News Agency. While investigations are ongoing into the craft’s cargo, Alimi said that initial information suggests the flight was carrying persons and equipment beneficial to the terrorist group.According to Alimi, those aboard the vessel included military and security personnel, Iranian experts specializing in drones and missile system development, electronic and communications equipment, and technologies with potential applications in command and control systems, as well as Yemeni personnel who had undergone security training in Iran.Though the Houthis initially claimed that the visit was humanitarian in nature, Alimi said that the use of a Mahan Air aircraft, owned by the Mol-al-Movahedin Foundation, a widely sanctioned economic entity linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the aircraft’s behavior suggested otherwise.People react after an Iranian airline, Mahan Air plane landed at an airport, given as Hodeidah airport, Yemen, in this screen grab taken from a handout video released on July 13, 2026. (credit: Al Masirah TV/Handout via REUTERS)"The indicators are not limited to the nature of the passengers and cargo. Frequent interruptions in the aircraft's tracking signals were detected while it was crossing Yemeni airspace, a behavior that contradicts the militias' claims that it was a humanitarian flight. This necessitates an independent international investigation to uncover the circumstances and objectives," he said.UN special envoy calls for de-escalationAddressing the Monday flight from Mahan Air, UN chief’s Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg asserted at the United Nations Security Council meeting that there needed to be swift de-escalation.The Houthis fired missiles at Saudi Arabia after accusing the kingdom of bombing an airport under their control on Monday, breaking a four-year truce in the conflict between the kingdom and the Iran-aligned group.Though Yemen’s Defense Ministry claimed responsibility for the strike on Monday, announcing that its armed forces had targeted the runway at Sana'a Airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing, the Houthis have threatened to escalate the conflict beyond Yemen’s territory. The group issued a threat against airlines flying over Saudi airspace until the “siege” on Sana'a Airport was lifted.Two US officials told Axios that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman received US President Donald Trump’s support for military action against the Houthis.Yemen ambassador warns Iranian flights are dangerous precedentYemen’s Ambassador Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saad, who requested the UNSC meeting, said the recent Iranian flights constituted “a real test” of the principles of sovereignty and non-interference, arguing that the unauthorized flight constituted an "extremely dangerous precedent."“We are dealing here with a deliberate attempt to impose a fait accompli," he warned.US representative to the UN Tammy Bruce acknowledged that the Iranian flight on July 3 had been purposed with transporting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel, including drone and missile experts in support of Houthi terrorism, Russian representative Ambassador Anna Evstigneeva claimed that the use of the Houthi-controlled airport remained essential for humanitarian operations.The Russian representative, while acknowledging that the flight should have been coordinated beforehand, disregarded concerns and told the council that the flight was “strictly humanitarian.”Notably, the Houthis detained an aircraft belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to one of the country's ministers during the alleged Iranian humanitarian flight standoff on Monday.Bruce noted that the Houthis’ leadership celebrated the flight as a “successful evasion” of international efforts to isolate them.Follow us on Google