Unusual air traffic at Sana’a International Airport on Wednesday sparked a wave of questions after activists and observers reported the arrival and departure of six aircraft within daylight hours.
The Houthi rebels remained tight-lipped, with no transparency regarding the nature of these flights or their cargo.
According to activist Abdulqader Al-Kharraz, field monitoring revealed that the flights included four planes designated for transporting humanitarian organization staff, as well as a medical evacuation aircraft. Notably, the list also featured two Boeing 727 cargo planes, estimated to have carried around 40.2 tons of shipments daily—equivalent to over 1,200 tons monthly of uninspected materials.
Interestingly, these flights were not listed in the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) schedule, which recorded only one flight that day. This has heightened concerns about a parallel air channel operating outside international oversight.
These developments have led activists on social media to raise serious question: Is arms smuggling to the Houthis now being conducted by air under UN cover?
This comes after the internationally recognized Yemeni Coast Guard, affiliated with the Joint Forces on the West Coast, tightened maritime surveillance and intercepted the largest arms shipment destined for the militia in recent weeks—forcing the group to seek alternative routes.
Observers warn that these flights could open the door to smuggling weapons and military experts under the guise of "humanitarian missions," which would enhance the rebels’ combat capabilities, escalate the conflict, and undermine the credibility of humanitarian work in Yemen.
Critics have also slammed the internationally recognized Yemeni government for its silence on these suspicious movements, calling it a grave failure in its oversight and diplomatic role within international forums. This inaction, they argue, has allowed the militia to freely bolster its military capabilities under a humanitarian pretext.