The Israeli army conducted a new airstrike against Sanaa International Airport in Yemen on Wednesday, the second in under a month. The target was Houthi insurgents, whom Israel accuses of launching repeated attacks with surface-to-surface missiles and UAVs.
There were no reports of casualties or damage immediately after the strike in Sanaa, according to an Associated Press report. On May 6, Israeli warplanes had already destroyed the airport terminal and made the runway useless. Flight operations had only resumed on May 17 before this recent attack.
Several Strikes in Yemen
Apart from the airstrike on Sanaa airport, the Israeli army confirmed conducting six individual airstrikes against Houthi strongholds in the key port city of Hudaydah. “Israeli warplanes struck terror targets of the Houthi terrorist regime along Yemen’s coast and deeper inside,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced in a statement.
The IDF said the offensive was a reaction to ongoing Houthi aggression targeting Israeli soil, specifically the firing of missiles and drones that target civilians.
Netanyahu Issues Stern Warning to Houthis
Earlier this month, a Houthi rebel-launched ballistic missile struck close to Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport. The attack, which struck panic and halted flights and trains temporarily, elicited a sharp response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a video message to X, Netanyahu said, “We are acting against them. We have acted in the past, and we will act in the future.” He underscored that what will happen to the Houthis “won’t be a one-and-done” reprisal and cautioned that “there will be blows.”
Netanyahu also reaffirmed that the United States is working in tandem with Israel in countering the escalating threat posed by Iran-backed Houthi militants.
The ongoing missile strikes from Yemen and the growing Israeli counterattacks indicate mounting tensions in the region. With both sides entrenched, the war seems to spill over and destabilize the Middle East further.
