UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg on Monday warned of the danger of broader conflict amid tensions over Yemeni airspace and airports.
“I am closely following developments related to Yemeni airspace and airports, and I am deeply concerned about the risk of wider escalation,” Grundberg said in a statement.
He said his office has been in contact with military representatives from all sides, urging them to step back from the brink.
“We are urging them to de-escalate and refrain from any actions that would risk a new cycle of violence in Yemen,” he said.
Grundberg called on the parties to pursue dialogue under UN auspices “to find a way forward that preserves the relative calm Yemen has experienced since 2022 and makes progress toward sustainably ending the conflict.”
Yemen’s Defense Ministry said early Monday that its forces struck the Sanaa airport runway after the Houthis prevented Yemeni flights from landing and allowed the Iranian plane to land “in violation of the Yemeni territory.”
Meanwhile, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree vowed that the strike “will not pass without retaliation and punishment.”
