Houthis declare truce with Saudi Arabia over after airstrike on Sanaa airport

Tensions in the Middle East are escalating. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels declared an end to their truce with Saudi Arabia, citing an airstrike on Sanaa's international airport.

Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sari said in a Telegram statement Monday that Saudi Arabia had struck Sanaa airport and that "the de-escalation phase is over."

He added that "this act of aggression will not go unanswered and will be met with a decisive response."

The Houthi movement's foreign ministry then issued a formal statement declaring the truce with Saudi Arabia terminated.

The statement condemned "the criminal Saudi regime" for "putting an end to the de-escalation phase and the truce by attacking Sanaa airport."

Russia's RIA Novosti reported that the strike was carried out to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing and that Houthi leadership was on board the plane.

The runway and taxiways at Sanaa airport sustained heavy damage in the strike. Evacuation orders were issued for the airport and surrounding areas.

Yemen's government claimed responsibility for the airstrike, saying its goal was to stop an Iranian aircraft — which it described as supporting the Houthis — from landing. The Defense Ministry said the Houthis, "backed by the Iranian regime," had blocked Yemeni national carriers from landing at Sanaa while allowing Iranian aircraft to enter Yemeni territory, and that the runway was targeted in response.

Saudi Arabia has led a regional military coalition against the Houthis since the group seized the Yemeni capital in 2015.

The two sides entered a UN-brokered two-month truce in April 2022, timed to coincide with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. It was extended twice and held through October of that year.

A formal agreement ultimately fell through, ending the truce in name, but both sides have avoided a full resumption of hostilities and have in effect maintained a cease-fire since then.