ADEN, Yemen, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni Armed Forces said Monday that it had struck Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian passenger plane carrying a senior Houthi delegation from landing in the Houthi-held capital.
The Houthi delegation was returning from Tehran after attending the funeral ceremonies of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The plane later landed at Hodeidah International Airport in western Yemen, local sources told Xinhua.
The Houthi group accused Saudi Arabia, a main ally of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, of launching the strikes. Its military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement that the strikes had ended the period of de-escalation and "will not go unanswered."
Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported that the airstrikes targeted the airport's runways.
Earlier in the day, Yemeni Defense Minister Taher Al-Aqili warned in a televised statement that the armed forces would engage any hostile aircraft violating Yemeni airspace.
The Iranian aircraft is the same one that landed at Sanaa International Airport on July 4 carrying more than 200 Yemeni patients and stranded passengers from Tehran. It later departed for the Iranian capital with a senior Houthi delegation that traveled to attend Khamenei's funeral ceremonies.
The Houthi delegation has insisted on returning aboard the same Iranian aircraft, rejecting the government's proposal to facilitate its return on a different, non-Iranian plane operating under government supervision.
On Sunday, the Houthi group warned Saudi Arabia and Yemen's government against intercepting the flight.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized control of Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year in support of the internationally-recognized government. ■
