Israel Responds to Houthi Attacks by Targeting Sanaa Airport

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Israel carried out airstrikes on Sanaa International Airport and other targets in Yemen on Thursday, reportedly killing six people according to Houthi-affiliated media. These strikes came in response to attacks by Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels against the Jewish state.

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The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was at the airport during the strike, as he confirmed, stating that “one member of our aircraft crew was injured.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized after the strikes that his country would continue to target the Houthi rebels “until the mission is complete.” In a video released by his office, he said, “We are determined to cut off this terrorist branch of the Iranian axis of evil. We will continue until the mission is accomplished.”

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant added that Israel “will hunt down all leaders of the Iranian-backed group… No one will be able to escape.”

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Tedros, who was part of a delegation sent to Yemen to negotiate the release of 17 United Nations staff members held by the Houthis—some since 2021 and others since June—stated that he and his team were about to board the plane when the airport was bombed.

Witnesses reported that Sanaa International Airport was hit by “more than six” strikes, with attacks also targeting the nearby Al-Daylami airbase. A power station in Hodeidah was also struck, according to witnesses and the Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah channel.

The channel reported that the strikes killed six people, following earlier Houthi reports of two deaths at Sanaa Airport and another at the port of Ras Issa.

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Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam condemned the strikes as a “Zionist crime against the Yemeni people.”

The Israeli army stated in a communiqué that “Air Force jets targeted military sites of the Houthi terrorist regime on Yemen’s western coast and inland,” asserting that this was in response to “repeated attacks” by Yemeni rebels on “the State of Israel and its citizens.”

The Houthi-controlled General Authority of Civil Aviation announced that Sanaa Airport would “resume operations on Friday,” adding that the bombing occurred while “the UN aircraft was preparing for its scheduled flight.”

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The Houthis also announced on Friday that they had targeted Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv with a missile attack following the bombing of Sanaa Airport.

In a statement, the group claimed they had also launched drones toward a “vital target” in central Israel and a ship in the Arabian Sea, declaring that “the (Israeli) aggression will only strengthen the determination of the great Yemeni people to continue supporting the Palestinian people.”

The Israeli army announced that it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen before it could reach Israeli territory.

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United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres swiftly condemned the “escalation” of hostilities between the Houthis and Israel, expressing his “concern” over Israeli strikes on Sana’a Airport.

A spokesperson for Guterres stated in a communiqué: “The Secretary-General condemns the escalation between Yemen and Israel. The Israeli airstrikes targeting Sana’a International Airport, Red Sea ports, and power plants in Yemen today are particularly concerning.”
He expressed particular concern over the impact of the strikes on transport infrastructure, which affects humanitarian operations in a country where 80% of the population relies on aid.
The statement emphasized that “the Secretary-General remains deeply worried about the risk of further escalation in the region and reiterates his call for all parties involved to cease all military activities and exercise maximum restraint.”

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According to an Israeli military spokesperson, the strikes targeted “infrastructure used by the Houthi terrorist system for its military activities at Sana’a International Airport and the Hizyaz and Ras Kantib power stations.”

The statement noted that this infrastructure was used by the Houthis “to transport Iranian military equipment to the region and host Iranian officials.” It added: “The Houthi terrorist system is a central agent of the Iranian axis and bears responsibility for regional destabilization and obstruction of international maritime freedom.”

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Thursday’s Israeli strikes, describing them as a “violation” of peace and security.

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Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated in a communiqué: “These aggressions constitute a blatant violation of international peace and security and an undeniable crime against the brave and noble Yemeni people, who have spared no effort in supporting the oppressed Palestinian people against occupation and genocide.”

The Palestinian Hamas movement, engaged in a war with Israel in Gaza, also condemned Thursday’s “brutal terrorist aggression by the Zionist enemy against brotherly Yemen.”
On Wednesday, the Houthis announced the launch of a ballistic missile and two drones at Israel, following an attack on Tel Aviv that injured 16 people.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had warned the Houthis on Sunday of action “with strength and determination,” stating in a video released by his office: “Just as we acted forcefully against the armed branches of the Iranian axis of evil, we will act against the Houthis… with strength, determination, and prudence.”

Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October last year, the Houthis have regularly launched missiles and drones at Israel, claiming it is in support of the Palestinians.

The Yemeni rebels, part of the Iranian “resistance axis” against Israel and the United States, have been attacking ships transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden for months.
Dozens of attacks using drones and missiles against commercial ships have prompted retaliatory strikes by U.S. and British forces.

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Israel has previously struck the Houthis in Yemen, particularly targeting ports and energy facilities, in response to rebel attacks on its territory.

In July, an Israeli civilian was killed in Tel Aviv in a Houthi drone attack, prompting retaliatory strikes on Hodeida. Last week, before the latest wave of attacks, Netanyahu warned that the Houthis “will pay an extremely high price” for their strikes on Israel.

Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since 2014, when Iranian-backed Houthi rebels seized control of vast areas in the north of the country, including the capital, Sana’a.
The following year, Saudi Arabia intervened at the head of a military coalition supporting the Yemeni government, exacerbating a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands. This war has plunged the country into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, according to the United Nations.

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Fighting largely halted in April 2022 after a UN-brokered humanitarian truce, which was extended twice. Although the truce expired in October of the same year, the situation on the ground has remained calm, even after the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas.