July 3 (Reuters) – Yemen’s Houthis said on Friday its forces confronted Saudi “warplanes” that they said attempted to prevent an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at Sanaa International Airport, according to a statement by the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Sarea.
The Iran-aligned group warned that they would target “Saudi airports and vital interests on land and sea” if the Saudis continue their violations of Yemeni airspace, Sarea said.
Flights between Sanaa and Tehran will continue despite any “possible consequences,” he added.
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Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said earlier on Friday that an Iranian aircraft arrived in Sanaa and flew the group’s official delegation to Tehran to attend the funeral of Iran‘s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. More than 200 patients were among other passengers on board.
Saudi Arabia led a military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 after the Iran-aligned Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa.
The Houthis have demonstrated their missile and drone capabilities during the Yemen war in attacks on Saudi Arabia targeting oil installations and vital infrastructure.
(Reporting by Eman Abouhassira, Editing by Louise Heavens and Philippa Fletcher)
