A blocked Iranian flight to Yemen set off Houthis’ latest spiral with Saudi Arabia

An explosion at Sanaa International Airport, attributed to Saudi airstrikes, occurred on July 13, 2026, according to Al-Masirah TV, a news channel controlled by the Houthis in Yemen. This incident sparked a series of retaliatory attacks between the Iranian-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia, potentially threatening the 2022 truce in Yemen and escalating the conflict in the Middle East.

U.N. envoy Hans Grundberg warned that the region could face a higher risk of large-scale conflict than since the April 2022 UN-brokered truce, jeopardizing the gains made during that ceasefire and potentially drawing Yemen into a broader regional confrontation with devastating consequences for its people.

The escalation began with the Saudi airstrike at the Sanaa airport runway, which prevented the landing of an Iranian flight carrying a senior Houthi delegation. This act, a violation of the Saudi-led coalition's requirement for prior permission for such flights, was perceived by the Houthis as a means to establish a new reality on the ground and force Saudi Arabia to lift the blockade on territories under their control.

The Houthis, emboldened by the fallout from the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, demanded political and economic concessions from Saudi Arabia and insisted on lifting the blockade.

Despite a compromise offer from the Saudi-backed internationally recognized government in Yemen to facilitate the Houthi delegation's travel to Sanaa on a non-Iranian airline, the rebels rejected the proposal. This refusal highlighted the Houthis' determination to push their agenda and challenge the coalition's control over Yemeni airspace, further deepening the tensions between the two sides.