WHO chief says he ‘escaped death narrowly’ in Yemen airport attack

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the airport had been used by Houthi rebels “to smuggle Iranian weapons into the region” which it used to attack Israel, as well as to welcome “senior Iranian officials”.

“This is a further example of the Houthis’ exploitation of civilian infrastructure for military purposes,” it added.

The Houthi-run Saba news agency said three people were killed at the airport and a further 30 injured.

It said another three people were killed and 10 wounded in other strikes, which targeted power stations and a port in the region.

It is unclear whether the fatalities were civilians or Houthi rebels.

The Iran-backed group described the attacks as “barbaric” and “aggressive”. It vowed to continue launching strikes on Israel until the conflict in the Gaza Strip ceased.

Houthi rebels have been attacking Israel since the first months of the war, which began in October 2023 when Palestinian militants launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing around 1,200.

Israel has retaliated against Houthi attacks with intermittent strikes.

On Saturday, the Houthis said they had launched a strike on the Nevatim airbase in central Israel. The IDF said a missile from Yemen was intercepted by the air force before crossing into Israeli airspace.

The Houthis are an armed political and religious group backed by Iran. The group has ruled large parts of western Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, since ousting the internationally recognised government in 2015.