PLC Reaffirms Commitment to Taking All Measures to Prevent Violations of Yemen’s Sovereignty

  Riyadh

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council held an extraordinary meeting chaired by Council President, President Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, with all council members in attendance: Sultan Al-Aradah, Tareq Saleh, Abdulrahman Al-Mahrami, Abdullah Al-Alimi, Othman Mujalli, Mahmoud Al-Subaihi, and Salem Al-Khanbashi. The meeting was held to discuss national and regional developments and proposed policies for addressing them at all levels.

In the domestic context, and in the presence of Prime Minister Shayea Al-Zindani, the council discussed a request submitted by Iran through the Saudi-led Coalition supporting the Yemeni government to operate a flight by Iran’s Mahan Air from Tehran to Sanaa. According to the council, the flight was intended to return Houthi personnel who had previously been transported from Sanaa International Airport, which is under Houthi control, on July 3, 2026. The council described that earlier flight as a violation of Yemen’s sovereignty and international law, as well as relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The council reviewed government initiatives aimed at maintaining civilian air services through Yemenia Airways, including regular flights between Sanaa and Amman, Jordan. The Council said the measures were intended to facilitate travel for civilians in line with operations at other government-administered Yemeni airports.

The council said those efforts had been met with unilateral actions by the Houthis, including the seizure of four Yemenia aircraft in 2024 and disruptions to the operations of the national carrier. It also said subsequent military developments had resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and damage to state assets.

The council affirmed that, despite those actions, the government had continued to put forward initiatives aimed at operating commercial flights through Yemenia Airways to facilitate passenger travel and alleviate their humanitarian suffering. However, the Houthi militias rejected those initiatives and insisted on disrupting the national carrier in a move aimed at strangling and besieging the Yemeni people, exacerbating their suffering, and replacing Yemenia Airways with Iran’s Mahan Air to operate flights between Sanaa and Tehran. The move serves only the Iranian agenda, entrenches the use of Yemen as a platform for cross-border coercion, and exploits the resources of the Yemeni people for the benefit of the militia’s leadership, their families, and its destructive project.

The council reaffirmed to the Yemeni people, particularly citizens in areas under the Houthi militias’ control by force, that Yemenia Airways is fully prepared to resume commercial flights from Sanaa International Airport to the Jordanian capital, Amman. The Council added, as well as to any other destinations that may be agreed upon, once guarantees are in place to ensure the protection of its aircraft and crews and to prevent any interference with the airline or its flight operations.

It also discussed the possibility of transporting the Houthi personnel aboard an aircraft chartered by Yemenia Airways, describing it as Yemen’s only national carrier, instead of using a foreign airline that serves Houthi militias and their backers.

The Presidential Leadership Council reaffirmed that the government and the armed forces would take all political, diplomatic, and military measures permitted under the constitution and international law to prevent any further violations of Yemen’s sovereignty or the operation of Iranian flights to Sanaa outside the approved legal framework. It held Iran and the Houthis responsible for any consequences resulting from these continued violations.

The council also renewed its call on Iran to refrain from interfering in Yemen’s internal affairs, to respect the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to stop using Yemen as an arena for regional conflict. It stressed that such actions undermine prospects for peace and stability that all Yemen aspires to.

The meeting was also attended by Dr. Yahya Al-Shuaibi, Director of the Office of the Presidency.