Iran’s militarization of civilian airports and ports threatens Yemen and region, says Yemeni minister

Yemeni Minister of Information Moammar Al-Eryani said the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ approach of exploiting civilian infrastructure for military purposes is a core part of its operational doctrine in managing and empowering its proxies in the region.

He stressed that this behavior is systematically repeated, from the use of Beirut Airport to Syrian ports, and now Sana’a Airport and Hodeidah ports, by harnessing civilian facilities to serve Iran’s agenda. This, he said, is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and directly exposes civilians and vital infrastructure to the risk of targeting and destruction.

Writing on the X platform, Al-Eryani added that Iran, through its affiliated Houthi militia, seeks to exploit airports, ports, and other civilian facilities under militia control as channels for smuggling weapons, transferring experts, and bringing in advanced military technology. This, he warned, boosts the militia’s combat capabilities and turns these facilities from lifelines for development into tools to prolong the war and expand the scope of regional threats. Such actions, he said, directly impact Yemen’s security and stability, threaten international navigation, energy security, and the stability of global trade.

Al-Eryani emphasized that Yemeni airports and ports are sovereign facilities owned by the Yemeni people and funded by public resources. They were established to serve citizens and ensure the movement of travel, trade, and humanitarian relief—not to be platforms for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s projects or tools to fuel regional conflicts.

The Yemeni minister stressed that any attempt to exploit these facilities beyond their legitimate civilian functions constitutes an attack on Yemen’s sovereignty and the rights of its people, disregards civilian lives, and is a clear violation of international law and conventions.

Al-Eryani reaffirmed the legitimate government’s full commitment to ensuring Yemeni airports and ports continue to serve citizens, facilitate travel, enable trade, and allow humanitarian aid, as civilian facilities. He also stressed that the government will not allow these sites to be turned into platforms for weapons smuggling, expert transfers, or to support military operations by the Houthi militia, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, or any affiliated parties. He said protecting the civilian nature of infrastructure is a national responsibility and a legal and moral obligation.

View the post on X