Israel said the bombing of the airport, which was targeted for the second time this month, had destroyed the last plane used by the Iran-backed Houthi militia.
Israeli warplanes bombed the main international airport in Yemen again on Wednesday in retaliation for recent missile attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militia.
A devastating Israeli airstrike earlier this month on the same airport, which serves the capital, Sana, caused extensive damage, and flights were suspended for more than a week. The latest strike destroyed the last remaining aircraft at the airport used by the Houthi government, according to Israel Katz, the Israeli defense minister, and the airport’s director.
“They destroyed it entirely,” the airport’s director, Khaled al-Shaief, said of the plane. He shared on social media a photograph of burning wreckage with fire trucks attempting to extinguish the blaze, saying the plane had been the last aircraft belonging to the national airline at the Sana airport.
The Sana airport is a vital link for more than 20 million Yemenis in Houthi-held areas, providing access to lifesaving medical treatment, medicine and aid.
The Houthis, who control most of northwestern Yemen, including Sana, have been launching rockets and drones at Israel and targeting ships in the Red Sea since October 2023, in what they call a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Both the Houthis and Hamas in Gaza are part of Iran’s network of proxy militias around the Middle East.
Sirens sounded across Israel several times this week warning of incoming Houthi missiles. The Israeli military said it had intercepted them all.
