# Yemen's government strikes Sanaa airport runway to stop an Iranian plane; Houthis fire missiles at Saudi Arabia, breaking a four-year truce > Yemen's internationally recognised government said on July 13 it struck the runway at Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing; the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of the strike and fired missiles at southern Saudi Arabia in retaliation, breaking the 2022 ceasefire between the two sides; Saudi Arabia said it intercepted the missiles; the UN warned Yemen risks full-scale conflict **Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-07-13 · heads: 战争究竟如何收场, 他们没说的 · 9 takes · 7 lenses · 7 regions ## Summary Yemen's internationally recognised government struck the runway at Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport on July 13, saying the action was taken to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing. The [Houthis](/zh/entity/houthis) immediately accused [Saudi Arabia](/zh/entity/saudi-arabia) of the attack and fired missiles at the kingdom's southern region, which the Saudi military intercepted, according to official statements. The Houthis announced the end of their de-escalation phase with Saudi Arabia, breaking the 2022 ceasefire that had held for four years. The UN warned that [Yemen War](/zh/entity/yemen-war) risks full-scale conflict. The Yemeni Defence Ministry said its "patience has run out" with Iranian and Houthi airspace violations. ## The split The Yemeni government and Israeli press framed the strike as a sovereign counter-Iran operation, citing the blocked Iranian aircraft and the ministry's own statement. The Houthis and pro-Houthi outlets, including Middle East Eye, blamed Saudi Arabia directly and presented the truce breakdown as a Riyadh-initiated violation. Gulf and UAE outlets led on the UN's full-scale conflict warning and the missile interception. US conservative media placed the event within the broader [美军以伊斯兰革命卫队威胁霍尔木兹海峡航行为由，于7月13日凌晨对伊朗发动新一轮打击；布伦特原油上涨逾4%](/zh/n/iran-us-strikes-jul13) escalation context, calling the Houthis an Iranian proxy. ## By the numbers - 4, years the 2022 Saudi-Houthi ceasefire held before July 13 - 1, Iranian aircraft the Yemeni government said it was preventing from landing at Sanaa - 1, airport threatened by the Houthis in retaliation: King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh ## Why it matters The collapse of the Saudi-Houthi truce reopens a second military front in the Arabian Peninsula at a moment when the wider region is already under stress from the US-Iran conflict and IRGC strikes on Gulf states. If fighting resumes at scale in Yemen, it risks drawing Saudi Arabia into active combat operations and threatening [Bab El Mandeb](/zh/entity/place/bab-el-mandeb) shipping lanes. ## What to watch - Whether Saudi Arabia launches retaliatory strikes on Houthi military sites in Yemen - Houthi follow-through on the threat to strike King Khalid Airport in Riyadh - UN Security Council emergency response to Yemen ceasefire collapse - [Iran](/zh/entity/iran) reaction and whether it distances itself from the Houthi escalation ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### Qatar-based Arab broadcaster; reports both the Yemeni government's stated reason (stopping an Iranian aircraft) and Houthi counter-claims without adjudicating; covers Saudi interception of Houthi missiles and the escalation implications for the broader region - **Al Jazeera** (Qatar, en) — Al Jazeera reported that Yemen's government said it struck Sanaa airport to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing, while the Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia and vowed retaliation; the report noted Saudi Arabia intercepted Houthi-launched missiles targeting the south of the kingdom. > "Gov't says airport struck to prevent Iranian aircraft from landing, reports interception of Houthi-launched missiles." Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/13/yemen-govt-says-its-forces-attacked-sanaa-airport ### UAE-based outlet; frames the episode as a timeline of how the fragile Yemen truce reignited, covering the Houthi announcement of the end of the de-escalation phase and Saudi interception; stresses the UN's full-scale conflict warning prominently - **The National News** (United Arab Emirates, en) — The National provided a conflict timeline showing how the four-year Saudi-Houthi truce collapsed on July 13, with the Yemeni government's runway strike, Houthi declaration of the end of the de-escalation phase, and Saudi interception of missiles, finishing with the UN's full-scale conflict warning. > "A timeline of the conflict as new air strikes hit Sanaa's international airport." Source: https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/07/13/from-fragile-truce-to-new-houthi-threats-how-yemen-crisis-reignited/ ### Specialist Middle East outlet; leads with the Houthi missile fire at Saudi Arabia as the breaking of a multi-year period of calm, using original Reuters on-the-ground reporting from Riyadh with named correspondents; covers the Saudi military coalition's X-post on interception - **Al-Monitor** (United States / Middle East, en) — Al-Monitor/Reuters reported Houthi missile fire at Saudi Arabia, noting this broke a four-year truce between the kingdom and the Iran-aligned group; the Saudi-led military coalition said it intercepted missiles 'launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward the southern region.' > "Yemen's Houthi movement fired missiles at Saudi Arabia after accusing the kingdom of bombing an airport under their control on Monday, breaking a four-year truce in the conflict between the kingdom and the Iran-aligned group." Source: https://al-monitor.com/originals/2026/07/houthis-accuse-saudi-arabia-striking-sanaa-airport-vow-retaliation ### London-based, generally pro-Houthi adjacent framing; leads on the Houthis' declaration that Riyadh will face consequences for violating the 2022 ceasefire; notes Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia specifically and announced the end of the truce - **Middle East Eye** (UK / Middle East, en) — Middle East Eye reported the Houthis' announcement that Saudi Arabia hit Sanaa airport and declared the end of the 2022 ceasefire; it focused on the Houthi threat of consequences against Riyadh and their framing of the strike as a violation of the truce, not a counter-Iranian operation. > "The group blamed Saudi Arabia, saying Riyadh will face consequences for violating the 2022 ceasefire." Source: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/houthis-say-saudi-arabia-hit-sanaa-airport-declare-end-truce ### Israeli perspective; covers the Yemeni Defence Ministry statement that patience has run out with Iranian-Houthi violations of Yemen's airspace, framing the strike as a Yemeni government counter-Iran action rather than a Saudi proxy strike - **Jerusalem Post** (Israel, en) — The Jerusalem Post reported the Yemeni Defence Ministry's warning that 'patience has run out' with Iranian and Houthi violations of Yemen's airspace, presenting the Sanaa airport strike as a sovereign act by the internationally recognised Yemeni government to block Iranian aircraft access. > "The Yemeni Defense Ministry issued a statement warning that its 'patience has run out,' saying that it would respond to any Iranian and Houthi violations of Yemen's airspace." Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-902356 ### US conservative outlet; uses 'Iran-backed terror proxy' framing for the Houthis; leads on the Houthi threat to strike King Khalid Airport in Riyadh; situates the event as part of Iran's regional proxy escalation during the US-Iran strikes - **Fox News** (United States, en) — Fox News framed the event through the Iran proxy lens, covering the Houthi threat to hit King Khalid Airport in Riyadh and their description of the Sanaa airport strike as 'blatant aggression'; the outlet connected the flare-up to ongoing US-Iran hostilities. > "The Houthis threatened to strike King Khalid Airport in Riyadh after what they called 'blatant aggression' targeting the Sanaa airport runway." Source: https://www.foxnews.com/world/iran-backed-terror-proxy-houthis-threaten-fresh-attacks-after-yemen-airport-strike ### unlabelled - **The National News** (United Arab Emirates, en) — Source: https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/us/2026/07/14/un-warns-yemen-risks-full-scale-conflict-after-sanaa-airport-attacks/ - **Kurdistan 24** (Iraq / Kurdistan, en) — Source: https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/925510/sanaa-airport-strike-deepens-yemen-crisis-as-houthis-threaten-retaliation - **The National News** (United Arab Emirates, en) — Source: https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/07/13/yemen-rebels-announce-end-of-de-escalation-phase-after-sanaa-airport-strikes/ ## Across the graph - Related: [[houthi-red-sea-cargo-attack-jul5]], [[iran-irgc-gulf-strikes-jul13]], [[iran-us-strikes-jul13]], [[bab-el-mandeb-dossier]] - Entities: Houthis, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen War --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/zh/n/yemen-sanaa-airport-strikes-jul13