Israel says it has ‘fully' disabled Yemen's main airport in escalating strikes on Houthi rebels
Jerusalem
CNN —
Israel struck multiple sites in Yemen's capital Sanaa Tuesday, including the main airport, which the Israeli military said has now been 'fully' disabled.
'A short while ago, IDF (Israel Defense Forces) fighter jets struck and dismantled Houthi terrorist infrastructure at the main airport in Sanaa, fully disabling the airport,' the Israeli military said in a statement Tuesday, adding that several major power stations in the Sanaa area were also hit.
The IDF said fighter jets 'dismantled' the airport within 15 minutes and struck a concrete plant.
At least one person was killed and three others were injured in the airport attack, according to the Houthi-run Ministry of Health.
Israel's military earlier issued an evacuation warning for Yemen's international airport in Sanaa, marking the first time the IDF has put out such a notification in Yemen, more than 1,000 miles from Israel.
Houthi leader Mohammed al-Bukhaiti vowed retaliation against the Israelis, telling Al Arabiya TV on Tuesday: 'We will meet escalation with escalation, and there are still multiple targets within the Zionist entity, sensitive targets, which will cost the Zionist entity large losses.'
Tuesday's attacks mark a significant escalation between the Iran-backed Houthis and the Israeli military that has spiraled rapidly in recent days.
On Sunday, a Houthi ballistic missile penetrated Israel's air defenses and hit near Ben Gurion international airport after several attempts to intercept the missile failed, the IDF said. The strike appears to be the first time Israel's international airport has been successfully targeted by the group.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebel group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in response to Israel's offensive in Gaza, and warned it would 'impose a comprehensive air blockade' on Israel by 'repeatedly targeting airports,' especially Ben Gurion. It called on international airlines to plan accordingly and cancel all scheduled flights to Israeli airports.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then vowed retaliation.
'We acted before, we will act in the future too. I can't elaborate all of that. The US, in coordination with us, is also operating against them. It's not 'one and done' – but there will be hits,' he said in a video address posted on social media Sunday.
Yemenis watch following the strikes on the Yemeni capital in Tuesday.
Osamah Abdulrahman/AP
In a post to X later, he also promised a response to Iran: 'Israel will respond to the Houthi attack against our main airport AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters.'
That retaliation began on Monday when Israeli forces carried out a series of strikes against the port in Hodeidah – Yemen's second largest – and a nearby cement factory, killing at least one person and injuring another 35 people, according to the Ministry of Health.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that 20 of its fighter jets took part in that mission – the first Israeli strikes in Yemen in months – hitting dozens of Houthi targets in Hodeidah and surrounding areas. The Houthi-run TV channel Al-Masirah said the port of Hodeidah was hit at least six times and confirmed the attack on the nearby cement factory.
The IDF claimed the Hodeidah seaport 'is used for the transfer of Iranian weapons, equipment for military purposes, and other terror-related need(s).'
Israel struck Sanaa international airport in December, killing at least three people and injuring 30 others, according to the Houthi-run al-Masirah satellite television network.
This story has been updated.
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