Sanaa, Yemen – The Israeli military said it has “fully disabled” Sanaa International Airport in a major airstrike on Tuesday, escalating tensions with Yemen’s Houthi rebels after the group fired a missile toward Israel over the weekend.
Airport officials told Reuters that Israeli strikes targeted three civilian aircraft, the departure hall, the main runway, and an adjacent military base. One source told AFP the airport had been “completely destroyed.” Yemenia Airlines confirmed that three of its planes were rendered inoperable in the attack.
The Houthis, who control large parts of northern Yemen including the capital Sanaa, said at least three people were killed in the Israeli bombardment.
The group, backed by Iran, vowed to retaliate. “Support for Gaza continues, the response is coming, and Netanyahu must prepare his resignation,” said senior Houthi political figure Mohammed Ali al-Houthi on a Houthi-linked TV channel, denouncing the strikes as “failed terrorism.”
The strike came just two days after the Houthis launched a long-range missile that landed near Israel’s main international airport, Ben Gurion, briefly forcing its closure and injuring six people. The missile landed on an access road close to the main terminal.
Israel began its response on Monday with a strike on the Yemeni port city of Hudaydah, a key Red Sea port that handles approximately 80% of Yemen’s food imports. The attack killed four people and wounded at least 35 others, according to Houthi authorities.
On Tuesday, Israel escalated its response by hitting multiple targets in Sanaa. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had targeted “runways, aircraft, and other infrastructure” at Sanaa airport, claiming it was being used by the Houthis to “transfer weapons and operatives.”
Additional strikes reportedly hit electricity supply infrastructure and a cement factory in northern Sanaa.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the strikes, warning, “Whoever attacks Israel bears responsibility for his own blood.” In a video statement, he added: “Our choice of when to respond, how to respond and on which targets to respond is a consideration that we make every time.”
Meanwhile, in Washington, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced a sudden shift in American policy, claiming the U.S. would cease attacks on Houthi forces. “The Houthis just don’t want to fight, and we will honour that,” Trump said during a press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Trump’s comments were followed by a statement from Oman’s foreign minister, who said the U.S. and the Houthis had reached a ceasefire deal aimed at protecting maritime shipping lanes.
Despite the apparent truce with the U.S., the Houthis maintain their hostility toward Israel, vowing to impose “a comprehensive aerial blockade” in retaliation for Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza.
Tuesday’s strike on Sanaa is the latest in a series of Israeli actions against Houthi targets in Yemen. The IDF had previously targeted the same airport in December and attacked energy infrastructure and ports in January. The escalating regional confrontation continues to raise concerns about a broader Middle East conflict.