The Yemeni government on Monday ordered the closure of all airports to air traffic after its forces targeted Sanaa International Airport, which is under Houthi control.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation said in a statement, “All airports are closed to air traffic until further notice.”
The announcement came after the government said it had targeted the runway of Sanaa Airport to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing, while the Houthis vowed to retaliate.
Earlier, the Yemeni government announced that it had struck the airport’s runway to stop an Iranian plane from landing.
In a statement carried by the state-run Saba News Agency, Yemen’s Ministry of Defense said the runway had been targeted to prevent the Iranian aircraft from landing, accusing the Houthis of insisting “on allowing Iranian aviation to violate Yemeni territory.”
However, the aircraft later succeeded in landing in Yemen, according to Al Masirah TV, the Houthi-run television channel.
The Iranian aircraft was carrying a number of patients and stranded civilians, accompanied by the official delegation of the Republic of Yemen, although the location where it landed was not specified.
