Israel Strikes Yemen’s Sanaa Airport in Response to Houthi Attacks
Israel carried out airstrikes on Yemen’s Sanaa International Airport on Wednesday, targeting Houthi-controlled infrastructure in response to missile launches toward Israel a day earlier.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strike destroyed an aircraft used by the Houthis. The IDF claimed the aircraft had been used to move fighters involved in attacks against Israel.
“The main airport of Sana’a is continuously operated by the Houthi terrorist regime for terror purposes,” the IDF said. “The IDF is determined to continue to operate against any threat to Israeli civilians, wherever necessary.”
Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported that four missiles hit the runway. Khaled al-Shaief, general director of the airport, posted on X that the last civilian planes of Yemenia Airways were destroyed.
Yemenia Airways, which condemned the strike, said the planes were scheduled to transport pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj. It suspended all flights from Sanaa Airport until further notice following the incident.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of more strikes if Houthi attacks continue. “Whoever harms us, we harm them,” Netanyahu said. “The Houthis are only the symptom. The main driving force behind them is Iran.”
Sanaa International Airport, Yemen’s largest, had resumed operations just last week after undergoing temporary repairs from earlier Israeli strikes. Three Yemenia Airways planes were also destroyed in a separate strike earlier this month.
The airstrike followed recent missile launches by the Houthis toward Israel. On Tuesday, the Israeli military reported intercepting a missile and another projectile launched from Yemen. The Houthis later confirmed launching “two ballistic missiles.”
The leader of the Houthis, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, said the attack was meant to pressure the group because of their strong support for Palestinians suffering from Israeli attacks in Gaza.
“No matter the size of Israeli aggression and no matter how often it repeats, it will not affect our people’s stance in supporting the Palestinian people. The Israeli enemy remained in a weak position following the cessation of American aggression due to its failure,” he said.
He added: “The Israeli enemy is trying to restore deterrence through this repeated aggression on civilian facilities in our country.”
