Aden, July 13 -- Yemen's government on Monday (local time) placed its military on high alert following a major escalation at the Houthi-controlled Sana'a International Airport, where an airstrike disabled the runway to block an unauthorised flight arriving from Iran.

In a comprehensive official statement, Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, President of Yemen and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, accused the Houthi militias of deliberately undermining peace efforts and putting the country's stability at risk.

The government revealed that despite intensive mediation efforts by regional allies to defuse the situation, the Houthis insisted on receiving the Iranian flight completely outside the legal and sovereign frameworks that govern internat...