• Warplanes struck Sana'a International Airport after an Iranian aircraft attempted to land, with the Iran-backed Houthi militia blaming Saudi Arabia for the attack.
• Yemen’s internationally recognized government targeted the airport runway to prevent the Iranian aircraft from landing, citing violations of Yemeni airspace by Iran and the Houthis.
• The incident involving the Iranian aircraft and the detention of an ICRC-operated plane's crew by the Houthis is seen as a dangerous escalation and a violation of international humanitarian law.

Warplanes struck Sana'a International Airport on Monday after an Iranian aircraft attempted to land, with the Iran-backed Houthi militia blaming Saudi Arabia.

Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the strikes hit the airport's runways, describing the attack as an end to the de-escalation phase in the country's civil war and vowing retaliation.

Yemen's internationally recognized government said its forces targeted the airport runway to prevent the Iranian aircraft from landing, after earlier warning that it would use "all available means" against what it described as violations of Yemeni airspace by Iran and the Houthis.

According to sources at Sana'a airport, the Iranian aircraft switched off its tracking devices and was no longer visible on live tracking.

It was last detected over the city of Dhamar, south of Sana'a, before later reports said the plane had landed in Hodeidah, western Yemen.

Separately, Yemen's Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani accused the Houthis of preventing an aircraft operated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from departing Sanaa airport and of detaining its pilot and co-pilot.

He described the incident as a "dangerous escalation" and a violation of international humanitarian law and agreements protecting humanitarian missions.

The Houthis and the ICRC did not immediately comment on the allegations.

Yemen has remained divided since the Houthis seized the capital in 2014, with the Iran-aligned group controlling much of the north, including Sana'a, while the Saudi-backed government ruling much of the south.

A UN-mediated truce took effect in 2022, though sporadic clashes have continued.