Israel strikes Yemen’s main airport in Sanaa

The Israeli military says it has “fully disabled” Yemen’s main airport in the capital Sanaa, which is controlled by the Houthis.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said “flight runways, aircraft and infrastructure at the airport” were struck.

The attack comes two days after the Iran-backed Houthis fired a missile that landed near Israel’s main airport, forcing it to close briefly.

On Monday Israel responded by striking the Yemeni port city of Hudaydah.

Israel has launched several rounds of strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, including the targeting of a power plant and ports in January. It previously attacked Sanaa airport in December.

Tuesday’s strikes targeted three civilian planes, the departures hall, the runway and a military air base, multiple airport sources told the Reuters news agency. The IDF said the airport was being used by the Houthis to “transfer weapons and operatives”.

The IDF said it also struck power stations in Sanaa, which it described as “significant electricity supply infrastructure” for the Houthis, as well as the al-Imran cement factory in the north of Sanaa.

Monday’s attack on Hudaydah also included strikes on a different cement factory.

The port is the second-largest in the Red Sea after Aden, and is the entry point for about 80% of Yemen’s food imports.

At least four people were killed and 35 others were wounded during Monday’s attack, the Houthis said.

The group blamed the US and Israel jointly for the attack, but a US defence official told the AFP news agency that their forces did not participate.

The Houthi missile fired towards Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv on Sunday morning landed next to an access road near the main terminal. Six people were injured, Israeli emergency services said.

Following the strike, the Houthis said they would impose “a comprehensive aerial blockade” on Israel by targeting airports in response to Israel’s plans to expand its military operations in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation against the Houthis for the airport attack, saying: “We attacked in the past, we will attack in the future.”