Iran has caused consternation after sending a civilian aircraft to collect and return Houthi officials for the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on 28 February on the first day of the US-Israeli war again the Islamic Republic. The funeral ceremonies for Khamenei were on a scale unprecedented in the Shi’ite world. Through this, Iran aimed to send a message to the West, to demonstrate the greatest possible solidarity with Iran. The airlift occurred while Tehran continued to attack other countries in the region on the grounds that it was targeting interests in response to American aggression.
Yemen has no connection to the US-Israeli war against Iran, nor to Iran’s attacks on the interests of others in the region, so Iran’s actions add to a growing list of grievances, illustrating Tehran’s hostile posture by breaching Yemeni airspace. It coincided with military action by the coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government. According to the Houthis, the coalition destroyed the runways at Sanaa Airport to prevent the Iranian aircraft from returning, but the aircraft instead landed at Hodeidah Airport, on Yemen’s western coast. In response, the Houthis launched missiles at Saudi Arabia’s southern border, which were intercepted.
