SANAA/JERUSALEM: The Israeli military confirmed it carried out airstrikes on Yemen’s main airport in the capital Sanaa on Tuesday, as hostilities intensified with the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels. Witnesses reported at least four strikes targeting the airport and surrounding areas.
The strikes follow a warning issued by the Israeli military urging civilians to evacuate the vicinity of Sanaa International Airport, just one day after Israeli forces hit Hodeidah port in retaliation for a Houthi missile that landed near Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday. “Not evacuating puts you in danger,” the military stated, publishing a map marking the danger zone around the airport.
Airport sources told Reuters the Israeli strikes damaged three civilian aircraft, the departures terminal, the runway, and a nearby military airbase under Houthi control. There were no immediate reports of casualties from Tuesday’s strikes.
Tensions between Israel and the Houthis have sharply escalated in recent days, with the Yemeni group vowing on Sunday to enforce a “comprehensive” aerial blockade on Israel by repeatedly targeting its airports.
The Houthis have intensified missile and drone attacks on Israeli territory and commercial shipping in the Red Sea since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, claiming solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
On Monday, Israeli strikes on Hodeidah killed four people and wounded 39, according to the Houthi-run health ministry.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed a firm response to attacks, particularly following the missile incident near Ben Gurion Airport, which led several European and U.S. airlines to suspend flights to Israel.
