Yemen Airways, the state-run airline, has halted its only air service out of Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital, citing Houthi restrictions on its funds. The route between Sanaa and Amman, Jordan, had been in operation since last year following a UN-brokered cease-fire that expired in October 2022. The airline accused the Iranian-backed Houthis of withholding $80 million in its funds stored in Houthi-controlled banks, severely impacting the airline’s activities. The suspension comes as the Houthis and Saudi Arabia seemed close to a peace agreement. Yemen’s civil war started in 2014 and escalated into a proxy conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, resulting in widespread suffering.
The Houthi-controlled Saba news agency reported an unnamed source who said the rebels offered to release 60% of the airline’s funds. This financial tug-of-war highlights the ongoing complexities as Yemen grapples with a humanitarian crisis, fueled by a conflict that has killed over 150,000 people and created dire living conditions in what was already the Arab world’s poorest country.