RIYADH: A week ago, the Yemeni Armed Forces targeted the runway at Sanaa International Airport to prevent an aircraft operated by Iran’s Mahan Air from landing after departing Tehran.
The legitimate government said the flight violated Yemen’s airspace by operating outside the state’s legal framework despite repeated warnings that any unauthorized breach would be intercepted.
The incident followed what the government described as the Houthis’ continued rejection of initiatives aimed at easing civilians’ suffering and restoring civilian flights through the national carrier.
The government said it has sought to reopen Sanaa airport under legal state supervision, as at other government-run Yemeni airports, while accusing the Houthis of insisting on flights between Sanaa and Tehran operated by Mahan Air, which has faced international sanctions over allegations of providing logistical support to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The government said that a recent Mahan Air flight carrying a Houthi delegation switched off its tracking signals while crossing Yemeni airspace to conceal the transport of IRGC and Hezbollah personnel, military equipment, weapons, and communications devices, in violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
