Yemenis Hail Iran for Breaching Blockade in Massive Rally

Date: 04 July 2026 - 22:54

News ID: ۱۵۱۵۳۳

SANAA (Dispatches) – A massive crowd packed Al‑Sabeen Square in the Yemeni capital in a mass rally expressing profound gratitude to the Islamic Republic of Iran for breaking the brutal 11‑year siege on Sanaa International Airport, after 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”.
The rally came hours after Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced that at 5:20 a.m. 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.
He 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.
The Saudi‑led coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 after the Sanaa government ousted the Saudi‑backed puppet regime, and the conflict has since caused widespread displacement and damage, with the UN describing the situation as one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.
A UN‑mediated truce first reached in April 2022 was renewed twice but expired after six months, though both sides have largely maintained a “de facto ceasefire” since then.
The renewed threats come months after the Saudi proxies and the Sanaa government agreed to their largest prisoner exchange, confirmed in May, which included seven Saudi prisoners of war.
Fighting has largely been frozen since the UN‑negotiated truce in 2022, though Saudi Arabia continues to violate Yemeni sovereignty through its ongoing aerial bombardment and illegal blockade.