ADEN, Yemen, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV said Monday Saudi Arabia launched several airstrikes on the runways of Sanaa International Airport in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital.
Yemen's armed forces urged the immediate evacuation of the airport.
The strikes came as an Iranian passenger plane carrying a Houthi delegation was heading toward the Yemeni Houthi-controlled airport from Tehran.
There was no immediate confirmation from the Saudi side, and the extent of the damage remains unclear.
Earlier in the day, Yemeni Defense Minister Taher Al-Aqili warned in a televised statement that the armed forces would engage any hostile aircraft violating Yemeni airspace.
The Iranian passenger plane is the same one that landed at Sanaa International Airport on July 4 carrying more than 200 Yemeni patients and stranded passengers from Tehran. It later departed for the Iranian capital with a senior Houthi delegation that traveled to attend the funeral ceremonies of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The Houthi delegation has insisted on returning aboard the same Iranian aircraft, rejecting the government's proposal to facilitate its return on a different, non-Iranian plane operating under government supervision.
On Sunday, the Houthi group warned Saudi Arabia and Yemen's government against intercepting the flight.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized control of Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year in support of the internationally-recognized government. ■
