How Yemen’s Govt Exposed the Houthis’ Misleading ‘Blockade’ Narrative

Yemen's internationally recognized government has accused Houthi rebels of obstructing efforts to alleviate civilian hardship and restore normal operations at Sanaa International Airport. The government stated that the Houthis have consistently rejected proposals aimed at reopening the airport under legal state supervision, preferring instead to operate flights with Iran's Mahan Air. This airline faces international sanctions for allegedly supporting Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

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The government had exhausted political, diplomatic, and legal avenues and proposed practical initiatives to avoid further escalation, but the Houthis rejected them all.

The Yemeni government detailed that a recent Mahan Air flight, carrying a Houthi delegation, deliberately disabled its tracking signals while crossing Yemeni airspace. This action, the government claims, was intended to conceal the transport of IRGC and Hezbollah personnel, weapons, and communications equipment, violating UN Security Council resolutions. Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani asserted that the government had pursued all diplomatic and legal avenues to prevent escalation, but the Houthis rebuffed these initiatives.

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Instead, they sought, together with Tehran, to turn Sanaa airport into a permanent gateway for Iranian flights operating outside state authority.

Instead, al-Eryani stressed, the Houthis, in coordination with Tehran, aim to establish Sanaa airport as a permanent route for Iranian flights operating outside state authority. Analysts suggest this behavior aligns with Iran's broader regional strategy, seeking to draw Yemen into conflicts and use it as a platform to threaten international shipping and energy supplies.

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The Houthis’ conduct reflects a broader effort to advance Tehran’s regional agenda by drawing Yemen into regional conflicts and turning the country into a military and political platform threatening international shipping and global energy supplies.

Mutlaq al-Mutairi, a professor of political communication at King Saud University, commented that the Houthis' use of Yemeni territory for non-national objectives exacerbates the country's isolation and diminishes prospects for a political settlement, worsening the plight of ordinary Yemenis. He argued that the Houthis' refusal to resume civilian flights via the national carrier undermines their narrative of a blockade being responsible for civilian suffering. According to al-Mutairi, the group exploits the airport issue as a political bargaining chip, disseminating a false blockade narrative to mobilize support for conflicts that primarily serve Iran's interests. He also pointed out that the continued flow of essential goods through Yemeni ports contradicts the Houthis' claims of a comprehensive blockade.

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The Houthis’ use of Yemeni territory for objectives beyond national interests has deepened the country’s isolation and undermined prospects for a political settlement, worsening the suffering of ordinary Yemenis.