The landing of a new passenger aircraft at Sanaa airport this morning sparked a new wave of controversy, after eyewitnesses reported that it arrived at the airport at 9:00 a.m. local time, before departing about an hour later, in the absence of any official announcement from Houthi authorities regarding the nature of the flight or its identity.

A number of social media users circulated allegations suggesting that the aircraft belongs to the Iranian airline 'Mahan'.

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In the first official response to the developments, the Yemeni Armed Forces issued a strongly worded statement, holding Iran legally and morally responsible for any violation of Yemeni airspace, affirming that 'Yemen, people and leadership, defends it by land, sea and air, whatever the consequences.'

The Yemeni Armed Forces stressed that they will respond to any violation of Yemen's sovereignty by all available means, confirming that they will confront any hostile aircraft that breaches Yemeni airspace, and that 'patience has run out' regarding what they described as Iranian and Houthi violations of Yemeni airspace.

The statement added that the Yemeni government has, over the past period, tried by all means to persuade Iran and the Houthi group not to violate Yemeni airspace and to return to what it described as 'the right path', but those efforts did not yield results.

This development comes days after another aircraft landed at Sanaa airport, an incident that sparked widespread Arab reactions, as the official spokesman for the Secretary-General of the Arab League expressed his strong condemnation of the landing of an Iranian aircraft at Sanaa airport without prior coordination with the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

The spokesman affirmed that the incident represents a blatant violation of Yemen's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a serious breach of international law, reiterating the Arab League's position supporting Yemen's sovereignty and independence, full solidarity with its leadership and people, and support for all measures aimed at protecting its national security and territorial integrity.

These developments come at a time when the region is witnessing escalating tensions, amid anticipation of what upcoming moves may bring, as the severity of official statements increases and fears grow of an expansion of the escalation.