Yemen’s Defence Minister, Taher al-Aqili, says the country’s internationally recognised government is prepared to take direct military action against what it described as repeated violations of Yemeni airspace, accusing Iran and the Houthi movement of ignoring months of diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue.
According to Anadolu Agency, al-Aqili made the remarks on Monday, July 13, 2026, saying the government had spent several months pursuing diplomatic and legal channels with regional and international partners to halt the alleged airspace incursions, but those efforts had failed.
He described the latest incident as the most serious violation so far, claiming it had crossed “all red lines” and prompted the government to adopt a tougher response.
Al-Aqili warned that Yemen would no longer tolerate what it considers hostile aircraft entering its airspace and vowed to respond to any future violations.
“We will confront and deal with the hostile aircraft violating Yemeni airspace and sovereignty by all available means, until we teach the enemy a lesson that will be heard far and wide, and learned by future generations,” he said.
The defence minister added that the government remained committed to defending the country’s sovereignty despite the risks involved.
“Let everyone know that Yemen has a people and a leadership that will defend it on land, at sea, and in the air,” he said.
Al-Aqili also accused Iran of bearing both moral and legal responsibility for the alleged airspace violations and criticised what he described as “the imamate project and its supporters.”
His remarks come amid heightened tensions across the Middle East, where ongoing regional conflicts have raised concerns about the risk of wider military confrontation.
Iran had not publicly responded to al-Aqili’s allegations at the time of reporting. The claims regarding the alleged airspace violations have not been independently verified.
