WASHINGTON, July 14. /TASS/. Saudi authorities received approval from the Washington administration before launching a strike on Monday against the airport in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, which is controlled by the Houthis of the Ansar Allah rebel movement, according to a report by Axios.

According to its sources among US officials, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman notified US President Donald Trump in advance of plans to carry out the attack and asked for support for it. Trump expressed support for such moves by Riyadh. According to the publication, the Saudi authorities’ decision to coordinate their actions with Washington in advance signals that the Saudis are "concerned about a larger conflict with the Houthis that will require military and diplomatic support from the US."

The Yemeni defense ministry said earlier that a strike had been delivered on the Sanaa airport’s runway to prevent an Iranian plane from landing. According to the ministry, the Houthis from the rebel Ansar Allah movement had banned Yemen’s national aviation to use the capital city’s airport but allowed an Iranian aircraft to intrude into the Yemeni territory. The rebels blamed Saudi Arabia for the attacks on the Sanaa airport. The Houthi foreign ministry said it considered the attack as a declaration of war and announced the end to the de-escalation period.