Huge crowd rally in Sanaa to thank Iran for breaking Yemen airport siege

A huge crowd of Yemenis packed Al-Sabeen Square in the capital on Friday evening in a mass rally expressing profound gratitude to the Islamic Republic of Iran for breaking the brutal 11‑year siege on Sanaa International Airport, as Yemeni air defenses successfully intercepted Saudi warplanes that attempted to block an Iranian civilian flight carrying over 200 sick and wounded passengers.

The rally, held in support of the Yemeni armed forces and their recent declaration on breaking the siege, saw participants chant slogans affirming their steadfastness with Gaza and Palestine and their full readiness to implement the directives of Ansarullah leader Sayyed Abdul‑Malik al‑Houthi.

The crowds expressed deep appreciation for Iran’s humanitarian initiative in facilitating the transfer of patients, the wounded and stranded civilians, reaffirming Islamic brotherhood within the axis of jihad and resistance.

“Today, Yemen’s skies witnessed two contrasting scenes,” said Yemen’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abdulwahid Abu Ras. “The first was a civilian aircraft carrying patients, wounded people, humanitarian cases, and official delegations. The second was warplanes carrying bombs and missiles to kill Yemenis and destroy infrastructure”.

He added that the event demonstrated Yemen’s “steadfastness, resilience, military capability, and high combat readiness, marking the beginning of a new phase of reclaiming rights”.

Iranian flight defies Saudi interception

The rally came hours after Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced that at 5:20 AM on Friday, a formation of Saudi coalition warplanes violated Yemeni airspace in an attempt to prevent an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at Sanaa International Airport.

The plane was carrying more than 200 stranded, wounded and sick Yemeni citizens.

Yemeni air defense forces fired “a number of air defense missiles,” forcing the Saudi warplanes to leave Yemeni airspace.

Saree warned Saudi Arabia against repeating any violation of Yemeni airspace, threatening a “comprehensive response” that would target Saudi airports and vital interests on land and sea.

Yemen says Saudi enemy warplanes attempting to prevent Iranian plane from landing at Sana'a airport​ were intercepted

Yemen says Saudi enemy warplanes attempting to prevent an Iranian plane from landing at Sana

Saree declared that flights between Sanaa and Tehran “will continue, regardless of any consequences, to break the siege and alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people”.

He stressed that Yemen’s armed forces “will not accept the continuation of the unjust Saudi‑American blockade indefinitely” and that all units are fully prepared to implement any decision made by the Ansarullah leadership.

Sanaa International Airport has been under a crippling Saudi‑American blockade for nearly 11 years.

The Iranian flight’s successful landing marked a major breach of that siege.

Iran’s initiative also enabled the transport of official and public delegations traveling to Tehran for the funeral ceremonies of the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

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