Omani and Iranian Officials, Remains and Wounded Fighters: New Details Emerge About One of Sana’a’s Five Flights
Dr Abdulqader Al-Kharraz has disclosed new information about the five aircraft that arrived at Sana’a International Airport on Wednesday—the highest number recorded at the airport in a single day in nearly 11 months.
Al-Kharraz, who monitors activity at the airport, said information available to him indicated that one of the aircraft carried an Omani official and an Iranian official to Sana’a.
According to Al-Kharraz, the aircraft later departed carrying the remains of Iranian nationals, wounded Iranians and injured Houthi members. He did not identify the two officials, specify which aircraft carried them or disclose the source of the information.
Technical sources told Sheba Intelligence that three of Wednesday’s five aircraft entered Yemeni airspace without transmitting identification data. The other two arrived from Djibouti and were identified through flight-tracking data as aircraft chartered for the United Nations.
The disclosure follows a Sheba Intelligence report citing a Yemeni government source who said authorities were considering suspending UN flights to Sana’a. The government suspects that the Houthis may be exploiting humanitarian flight permits to transport dual-use materials or foreign experts using false identities.
The source said the arrival of large aircraft without publicly available identification data had strengthened calls for tighter inspections and the disclosure of passenger manifests, cargo contents and flight routes.
Al-Kharraz also recorded the arrival of another large aircraft at Sana’a airport at 09:10 on Thursday, 20 August, as part of the airport’s continuing daily activity.
Sheba Intelligence could not independently verify Al-Kharraz’s information concerning the Omani and Iranian officials or those reportedly transported from Sana’a.
