Israeli warplanes attack Houthi targets in Sanaa’s airport

Jerusalem:  Israeli warplanes on Wednesday struck Sanaa’s main airport in Yemen and several aircraft belonging to the Houthi forces, Israel’s military said in a statement.

The attack destroyed the last aircraft used by the Houthi forces, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a separate statement.

The strike was part of what Israel called “Operation Golden Jewel,” a campaign that aims to degrade the Houthis’ ability to launch further attacks on Israel, said Katz.

“This is a clear message and a direct continuation of the policy we have set: whoever fires at Israel will pay a heavy price,” Katz warned.

He said Israel would continue targeting Yemeni ports and strategic infrastructure used by the Houthis and their allies. “The airport in Sanaa will be destroyed again and again.”

Katz also warned that the Houthis would be “under a naval and aerial blockade”/

Khaled al-Shaief, Houthi general director of Sanaa International Airport, confirmed that the fourth plane of Yemen’s national Yemenia Airline company was destroyed by the Israeli airstrikes Wednesday morning.

“The … (Israeli) enemy targeted the last Yemenia Airlines’ plane operating at Sanaa International Airport and destroyed it,” al-Shaief wrote on social platform X. He posted a picture showing the plane destroyed with fire and smoke rising from it in the airport.

Israel’s Army Radio reported that the Houthis have launched seven ballistic missiles and several drones toward Israeli territory over the past two weeks. Most of the projectiles were intercepted, and no major damage or casualties were reported.

The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, have been targeting Israel since November 2023 in what they call an act of solidarity with Palestinians. The group has said it would cease the attacks if Israel ends its military operations and blockade of Gaza, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israel has carried out several major airstrikes in Yemen. Its latest strike, two weeks ago, targeted the international airport in Sanaa, rendering it inoperable.

–IANS