Yemen calls for international investigation into cargo of Iranian plane that landed at Houthi-controlled Sanaa airport

Aden, July 6 (KUNA) -- Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi called on Monday for a firmer international stance against Iran’s “blatant” interventions in Yemen and for an international investigation into the cargo of an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) plane that switched off its tracking system over Yemeni airspace before landing and after taking off from Sanaa airport, controlled by the Houthi militia, last Friday.

The state-owned Yemeni News Agency (Saba) quoted al-Alimi as urging, during his meeting with ambassadors of countries sponsoring the political process in Yemen, the international community to strictly implement Security Council resolutions and the sanctions regime, foremost among them prohibiting the use of civilian aviation, airports, and ports to transport experts or equipment with military applications, and tightening oversight of financing and smuggling networks linked to the “terrorist” militias.

Al-Alimi described the flight of an IRGC aircraft to Sanaa airport, under Houthi control, as a clear violation of Yemeni sovereignty and a blatant challenge to international law and relevant Security Council resolutions. He emphasized the need to intensify sanctions against the Houthi militias as a peaceful option to implement decisions of international legitimacy, particularly Resolution 2216, and to double political and economic support for the Yemeni government as a close partner in restoring state institutions, achieving peace, protecting waterways, and combating terrorism and organized crime.

He warned that “the threat will not remain confined to Yemen if armed groups become capable of challenging Security Council resolutions, violating sanctions, and using civilian aviation as cover to transfer military expertise and threaten energy security, international navigation, and the global economy without deterrent measures.”

He added that “Iran’s latest violation represents a highly dangerous qualitative development and a deliberate attempt to test the international community’s ability to enforce its decisions, break the sanctions regime, and impose a new fait accompli by force,” noting that “ignoring such violations will encourage their repetition and undermine the authority of Security Council resolutions.”

Al-Alimi clarified that preliminary information indicates that “the flight carried a number of military and security personnel, Iranian experts specialized in developing drones and missile systems, along with electronic and communications equipment and technologies with potential applications in command and control systems, as well as Yemeni cadres who had undergone security training in Iran.”

He pointed out that “repeated interruptions in the aircraft’s tracking signals were observed while it was crossing Yemeni airspace, a behavior that contradicts the Houthi militia’s claims that the flight was humanitarian, necessitating an independent international investigation to uncover the circumstances and objectives.” He noted that the aircraft “is linked to a company that has been subject to international sanctions and allegations of providing logistical support to the IRGC in recent years.” (End) S.N.S./F.S.