SANAA, Egypt (AFP) – UN assistance flights into Yemen’s rebel-held capital Sanaa have been suspended due to air attacks by the Saudi-led coalition backing the government, an airport spokesman said Tuesday.
“The airport is no longer able to receive planes operated by the United Nations or international humanitarian organisations” as a result of coalition air attacks targeting Huthi rebels, an official told AFP.
Planes into Sanaa airport have been mainly suspended since August 2016 due to a Saudi-led embargo, although there have been exceptions for assistance flights, which represent a vital lifeline for the population.
The airport official, who did not want to be recognised, begged the United Nations to put a stop to the raids so that the airport could reopen.
The coalition said on Monday evening that it had carried out “a limited number of precise strikes on lawful military targets in Sanaa international airport.”
“The operation was launched in reaction to the threat and exploitation of airport infrastructure to carry out cross-border attacks,” the Saudi Press Agency said.
According to the statement, the aircraft attacked six targets at the airport, including areas used to “manage assaults by drones armed with explosives” or to “train terrorist elements” for such operations.