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Arab Coalition Shows Footage of How Houthis Transformed Sanaa Airport into Military Base

Sanaa International Airport. (Reuters file photo)
Sanaa International Airport. (Reuters file photo)
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Arab Coalition Shows Footage of How Houthis Transformed Sanaa Airport into Military Base

Sanaa International Airport. (Reuters file photo)
Sanaa International Airport. (Reuters file photo)

Saudi-led Arab coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Malki said on Monday the Iran-backed Houthi militias have transformed Sanaa International Airport into a military base for their military training and cross-border attacks.

In remarks to Al Arabiya, he stressed the Houthis are a danger to aircraft of United Nations agencies and their relief staff.

Iran has transformed Sanaa airport into a main platform for launching hostile attacks, he added.

Moreover, Tehran has used the facility to deliver all forms of weapons to the militias.

Al Arabiya aired footage of how the Houthis have used a UN plane at the airport in military training.

The Houthis used the aircraft to test their air defense and rocket systems whereby the plane was used as a mock target as it landed at and took off from the airport, showed the video.

The footage showed a suspected foreign expert overseeing the tests, confirming the involvement of Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah members in carrying out hostile attacks and threatening marine navigation and global trade routes in violation of UN Security Council resolution 2216.

The video confirmed previous statements by the Arab coalition that accused the Houthis of transforming Sanaa airport into a military base for the manufacturing and storage of ballistic missiles and armed drones ahead of their use in Yemen and beyond.

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Lebanon Decides to Extradite Al-Qaradawi to the UAE

 Abdel Rahman Al-Qaradawi (X)
 Abdel Rahman Al-Qaradawi (X)
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Lebanon Decides to Extradite Al-Qaradawi to the UAE

 Abdel Rahman Al-Qaradawi (X)
 Abdel Rahman Al-Qaradawi (X)

The Lebanese government has decided to extradite Egyptian activist Abdel Rahman Al-Qaradawi, son of the late cleric Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following an extradition request from Emirati authorities.
The decision is based on an arrest warrant issued by the Arab Interior Ministers Council due to a video recorded by Al-Qaradawi during a visit to the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, in which he criticized several Arab countries.
The decision came shortly after Lebanese Justice Minister Henry Khoury submitted a decree to the Council of Ministers authorizing the extradition. According to sources, Türkiye, which had warned Lebanon against handing over Al-Qaradawi, requested prior assurances before his extradition. However, it is believed this decision will not lead to a political or diplomatic crisis between Beirut and Ankara.
The move has raised questions about why Lebanon agreed to extradite the activist to the UAE, despite the absence of a judicial agreement for exchanging wanted individuals between the two nations.
A government source clarified that the decision was based on the arrest warrant issued by the Arab Interior Ministers Council, which Lebanon is obligated to honor as a member of the council and a signatory to its agreements. The source also confirmed that Lebanon’s General Security Directorate will coordinate with Emirati authorities to finalize the extradition schedule.
The swift response to the Emirati request is noteworthy. Al-Qaradawi was detained upon arriving in Lebanon through the Masnaa border crossing from Syria on December 29, 2024, in accordance with an Interpol red notice. The notice was based on a five-year prison sentence handed down in absentia by Egyptian courts, which convicted him of charges including “spreading false news, inciting violence and terrorism, and encouraging regime change.”
Efforts by Al-Qaradawi’s family and activists to prevent his extradition to Egypt or the UAE have been unsuccessful. On Tuesday, dozens of protesters, including religious figures from Lebanese Islamic organizations, gathered outside Beirut’s Palace of Justice demanding that he not be extradited and calling for his transfer to Türkiye, where he resides. They warned that they would take legal action against the Lebanese government in international courts if the extradition proceeds.
Al-Qaradawi’s lawyer, Hala Hamza, argued that her client is being held based on a request from Egypt and another from the UAE tied to a now-removed video he posted in Syria. She stated: “There is no legal basis for the UAE’s extradition request,” describing the decision as violating international human rights agreements.
On Sunday, Al-Qaradawi’s family sent an official letter to Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati urging his immediate intervention to secure the man’s release.