RIYADH: The chairman of Yemen’s presidential leadership council vowed on Monday that he would not allow his country to be dragged into wars that serve Iran’s interests.
Rashad Al-Alimi’s comments came after Yemen’s armed forces said they targeted the runway at Sanaa Airport on Monday in order to block an Iranian plane from landing. He said the move was to “protect national sovereignty.”
The leader said he had ordered that “the scope of confrontation not be expanded, in order to thwart the objective that Iran seeks to achieve by dragging Yemen and its people into wars that serve its own interests, using Yemen’s land and people as a card in its regional conflict.”
“I also emphasize clearly that the state will not allow any aircraft in the future to violate Yemeni airspace, whether for Sanaa airport or any other airport, and will deter any attempt to impose a fait accompli that compromises its sovereignty, or diminishes its authority over its territories, airspace, and all its ports,” he added.
Al-Alimi said that the “Iranian regime bears full responsibility for its continued support and enablement of practices, which contravene international law and UN Security Council resolutions.”
After Monday’s incident, Yemen’s general aviation authority ordered the closure of all airports nationwide to air traffic until further notice. It later announced that all airports nationwide are open.
