Israeli forces have reportedly rendered Yemen’s main airport in Sanaa inoperable following a series of airstrikes.
The facility, located in the Houthi-controlled capital, was hit on Tuesday in an operation that damaged key infrastructure, including three civilian aircraft, the departures hall, the runway, and a military air base, according to sources cited by Reuters.
The Iran-aligned Houthi group confirmed at least three fatalities from the attack and pledged to retaliate.
This military action came just two days after the Houthis launched a missile that landed near Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport, briefly halting air traffic.
In response, Israel launched airstrikes on the Yemeni port city of Hudaydah on Monday.
It’s part of a broader pattern, as Israeli forces have previously targeted Houthi-linked sites in Yemen, including a power facility and port installations earlier this year, and Sanaa airport in December.
The Israel Defense Forces said its recent strike focused on “flight runways, aircraft and infrastructure at the airport,” claiming that the Houthis were using the facility to “transfer weapons and operatives.”
Alongside the airport, the IDF said it also targeted power stations in the capital, referring to them as “significant electricity supply infrastructure” aiding the Houthis, and bombed the al-Imran cement factory in northern Sanaa.
In a stern warning, the Houthi movement declared that the Israeli “aggression will not pass without a response, and Yemen will not be discouraged from its stance in support of Gaza.”
The Monday strike on Hudaydah, Yemen’s second-largest Red Sea port and a crucial lifeline for food imports, also reportedly hit another cement plant.
Houthi authorities stated that four people died and 35 were injured in the attack.
Blaming both Israel and the United States, the Houthis condemned the assault. However, a U.S. defense official told AFP that American forces were not involved.
Sunday’s missile attack by the Houthis landed near an access road close to Ben Gurion’s main terminal, wounding six people, Israeli emergency services said.
Following the incident, the Houthis threatened to enforce “a comprehensive aerial blockade” on Israel by targeting airports, citing Israel’s continued military operations in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded firmly, saying: “We attacked in the past, we will attack in the future.”
