DUBAI — The leader of Yemen's internationally recognised governing council said on Monday that he would not expand his confrontation with the Houthis after his forces hit Sanaa airport to prevent an Iranian plane carrying a rebel delegation from landing.

 

"I have also ordered that the scope of the confrontation not be expanded in a manner that would achieve Iran's objective of dragging Yemen and its people into wars," said Rashad Al Alimi, who heads the eight-member Presidential Leadership Council, adding he had called an emergency meeting of the PLC following the flare-up.

 

The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen on Monday urged the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Yemen's internationally recognised government to turn to diplomacy after the government claimed responsibility for attacks on Sanaa's airport.

 

"I am actively engaging with all actors and my Office has contacted military representatives from all sides. We are urging them to de-escalate and refrain from any actions that would risk a new cycle of violence in Yemen," said Hans Grundberg in a post on his office's X account.

 

Yemen's internationally-recognised government said it struck Sanaa airport Monday in the biggest escalation in years between authorities and the Iran-backed rebels.

 

The government said it wanted to prevent an Iranian plane from landing in the Yemeni capital, after they failed to convince the Houthi delegation that went to Tehran for the late supreme leader's funeral to board a Yemenia flight instead.

 

"The terrorist Houthi militias -- backed by the Iranian regime -- prevented Yemeni national aircraft from landing at the airport in the capital, Sanaa, while insisting on allowing an Iranian plane to violate Yemeni territory; consequently, the airport runway was targeted," the Yemeni defence ministry said.