The Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council held an emergency meeting chaired by President Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, with all members including Sultan al-Arada in attendance, to discuss national and regional developments and proposed policies to address them at all levels.

The meeting, in the local context and in the presence of Prime Minister Dr. Shaya'a al-Zandani, discussed the request submitted by Iran through the command of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, to operate a flight by Iranian Mahan Air from Tehran to Sanaa to return elements of the terrorist Houthi militias who had previously been transferred from Sanaa airport under militia control on July 3, 2026. That flight constituted a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Republic of Yemen and a direct challenge to international law and relevant Security Council resolutions.

In this regard, the council reviewed all the initiatives presented by the government to ensure the continuation of civilian flights through Sanaa airport by Yemenia Airways, foremost among which was the operation of regular flights between Sanaa and the Jordanian capital Amman, to alleviate the suffering of citizens, similar to what is in place in other Yemeni airports under state administration.

The council noted that these humanitarian efforts were met with unilateral actions by the terrorist Houthi militias, most notably the seizure of four aircraft belonging to Yemenia Airways in 2024 and the disruption of the national carrier's operations, before their military adventures dragged the country into the heat of regional conflicts, destroying those aircraft and causing severe damage to the capabilities of the Yemeni people.

The council affirmed that despite these practices, the government continued to present initiatives aimed at operating commercial flights by Yemenia Airways to facilitate passenger movement and alleviate their humanitarian suffering. However, the Houthi militias rejected these initiatives and insisted on disrupting the national carrier, in a step aimed at strangling and besieging the Yemeni people and exacerbating their suffering, and replacing Yemenia Airways with Iranian Mahan Air to operate flights between Sanaa and Tehran. This step serves only the Iranian agenda, entrenching the use of Yemen as a theater for cross-border blackmail, and exploiting the resources of the dear Yemeni people to serve the leadership and families of the militias and their destructive project.

The council reaffirmed to the Yemeni people, particularly citizens in areas forcibly under the control of the Houthi militias, that Yemenia Airways is fully ready to resume commercial flights from Sanaa airport to the Jordanian capital Amman and to any other agreed destinations, whenever guarantees are provided to protect the aircraft and their crews and to prevent any targeting or interference in the company's affairs and flight operations.

The council also discussed the possibility of returning the Houthi elements via an aircraft chartered by Yemenia Airways, as the sole national carrier, instead of relying on a foreign airline that serves the interests of the Houthi militias and those behind them.

The Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council affirmed that the government and armed forces will take all political, diplomatic, and military measures guaranteed by the constitution and international law to prevent any new attempt to violate the sovereignty of the Republic of Yemen or impose a fait accompli through operating Iranian flights to Sanaa airport outside the approved legal frameworks, holding Iran and the Houthi militias fully responsible for any repercussions that may result from the continuation of these violations.

The council renewed its call on Iran to cease interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Yemen, respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and stop using Yemen as a theater for regional conflicts, doubling the suffering of the Yemeni people and undermining the opportunities for peace and stability that all Yemenis aspire to.