Latest news with #AneesAlasbahi
The National
08-05-2025
- Health
- The National
Houthis vow response as Israeli strikes on airport cause $500m damage
Israeli strikes on Yemen's Sanaa airport caused $500 million in damage and destroyed terminal buildings, its director told Houthi media on Wednesday, as the Iran-backed group vowed to respond. The strikes on the Houthi-controlled airport came after the Iran-backed group launched a missile that struck near Israel's Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday. 'Around $500 million in losses were caused by the Israeli aggression on Sanaa airport,' its general director Khaled Al Shaief told Al Masirah television. 'The enemy destroyed the terminals at Sanaa airport, including all equipment and devices.' A warehouse was also 'completely levelled', he added. Yemenia Airways lost three planes, he said, with six planes in total destroyed. 'There are alternatives to temporarily reopen the airport, and we need a long time to rehabilitate it and restore operations,' he said. The airport had reopened to international flights after a six-year gap in 2022, with regular flights to Jordan's capital Amman. Yemenis in need of emergency medical treatment abroad have been among those relying on the airport. Houthi health ministry spokesman Anees Alasbahi told AFP the attack will 'increase human suffering for sick people who need to travel abroad for treatment' and would make it more difficult to bring medical supplies into the war-battered country. Video of the Israeli strikes aired by Al Masirah showed the terminal's windows blown out, with concrete blocks exposed and a fire burning inside. On the runway, Yemenia planes burnt. Other Israeli strikes elsewhere in Yemen hit a cement plant and power plants, the Houthis and Israelis both said. The US on Tuesday announced it would end a bombing campaign that had significantly intensified since mid-March, with the Houthis also agreeing to stop attacking ships to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. The truce was mediated and confirmed by Oman. But that deal did not mention Israel, with the rebels vowing to respond to Tuesday's strikes. 'The agreement does not include Israel in any way, shape or form,' Mohammed Abdulsalam, the chief Houthi negotiator, told Reuters. 'As long as they announced the cessation [of US strikes] and they are actually committed to that, our position was self-defence so we will stop.' An Israeli official and a US official separately confirmed to AP that the Trump administration did not inform Jerusalem of the deal with the Houthis ahead of time. Israel reportedly found out about the truce when US President Donald Trump announced it during his meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Israel attack on Sanaa airport caused $500 mn in damage: director
Israel's attack on the airport in Yemen's Huthi-controlled capital Sanaa destroyed terminal buildings and caused $500 million in damage, its director told Huthi media on Wednesday. He said earlier in a statement on X that the airport was suspending all flights until further notice after sustaining "severe damage" in the Israeli strikes. The strikes came after a Huthi missile gouged a crater near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport on Sunday. "Around $500 million in losses were caused by the Israeli aggression on Sanaa airport," its general director Khaled alShaief told the rebels' Al-Masirah television. "The enemy destroyed the terminals at Sanaa airport, including all equipment and devices," he said, adding that a warehouse was also "completely levelled". Yemenia Airways lost three planes, he said, adding that six planes in total had been destroyed. "There are alternatives to temporarily reopen the airport, and we need a long time to rehabilitate it and restore operations," he said. Sanaa's airport reopened to international flights after a six-year gap in 2022, offering a regular service to Jordan's capital, Amman, on the home-grown Yemenia airline. Those flying out of Sanaa have included Yemenis seeking emergency medical treatment abroad. Huthi health ministry spokesman Anees Alasbahi told AFP the attack would "increase human suffering for sick people who need to travel abroad for treatment" and could make it harder to bring medical supplies in. On Tuesday, the Huthi rebels and the United States agreed a ceasefire that would ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, mediator Oman said. But the deal that was announced does not mention Israel, with the rebels vowing to respond to Tuesday's strikes. Huthi rebels have been attacking Israel and merchant shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since late 2023, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians as the Gaza war rages. The Yemeni rebels had paused their attacks during a recent two-month ceasefire in the Gaza war. In March, they threatened to resume attacks on shipping over Israel's aid blockade on the Gaza Strip, triggering a response from the US military, which began hammering the rebels with near-daily air strikes. In December, Israeli air strikes pummelled Sanaa airport and other targets, with Huthi media reporting six deaths. str-aya/kir
France 24
07-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Israel attack on Sanaa airport caused $500 mn in damage: director
He said earlier in a statement on X that the airport was suspending all flights until further notice after sustaining "severe damage" in the Israeli strikes. The strikes came after a Huthi missile gouged a crater near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport on Sunday. "Around $500 million in losses were caused by the Israeli aggression on Sanaa airport," its general director Khaled alShaief told the rebels' Al-Masirah television. "The enemy destroyed the terminals at Sanaa airport, including all equipment and devices," he said, adding that a warehouse was also "completely levelled". Yemenia Airways lost three planes, he said, adding that six planes in total had been destroyed. "There are alternatives to temporarily reopen the airport, and we need a long time to rehabilitate it and restore operations," he said. Sanaa's airport reopened to international flights after a six-year gap in 2022, offering a regular service to Jordan's capital, Amman, on the home-grown Yemenia airline. Those flying out of Sanaa have included Yemenis seeking emergency medical treatment abroad. Huthi health ministry spokesman Anees Alasbahi told AFP the attack would "increase human suffering for sick people who need to travel abroad for treatment" and could make it harder to bring medical supplies in. On Tuesday, the Huthi rebels and the United States agreed a ceasefire that would ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, mediator Oman said. But the deal that was announced does not mention Israel, with the rebels vowing to respond to Tuesday's strikes. Huthi rebels have been attacking Israel and merchant shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since late 2023, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians as the Gaza war rages. The Yemeni rebels had paused their attacks during a recent two-month ceasefire in the Gaza war. In March, they threatened to resume attacks on shipping over Israel's aid blockade on the Gaza Strip, triggering a response from the US military, which began hammering the rebels with near-daily air strikes. In December, Israeli air strikes pummelled Sanaa airport and other targets, with Huthi media reporting six deaths. © 2025 AFP
New Straits Times
07-05-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Israel attack on Sanaa airport caused US$500m in damage
SANAA: Israel's attack on the airport in Yemen's Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa destroyed terminal buildings and caused US$500 million in damage, its director told Houthi media on Wednesday. He said earlier in a statement on X that the airport was suspending all flights until further notice after sustaining "severe damage" in the Israeli strikes. The strikes came after a Houthi missile gouged a crater near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport on Sunday. "Around US$500 million in losses were caused by the Israeli aggression on Sanaa airport," its general director Khaled alShaief told the rebels' Al-Masirah television. "The enemy destroyed the terminals at Sanaa airport, including all equipment and devices," he said, adding that a warehouse was also "completely levelled." Yemenia Airways lost three planes, he said, adding that six planes in total had been destroyed. "There are alternatives to temporarily reopen the airport, and we need a long time to rehabilitate it and restore operations," he said. Sanaa's airport reopened to international flights after a six-year gap in 2022, offering a regular service to Jordan's capital, Amman, on the home-grown Yemenia airline. Those flying out of Sanaa have included Yemenis seeking emergency medical treatment abroad. Houthi health ministry spokesman Anees Alasbahi told AFP the attack would "increase human suffering for sick people who need to travel abroad for treatment" and could make it harder to bring medical supplies in. On Tuesday, the Houthi rebels and the United States agreed a ceasefire that would ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, mediator Oman said. But the deal that was announced does not mention Israel, with the rebels vowing to respond to Tuesday's strikes. Houthi rebels have been attacking Israel and merchant shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since late 2023, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians as the Gaza war rages. The Yemeni rebels had paused their attacks during a recent two-month ceasefire in the Gaza war. In March, they threatened to resume attacks on shipping over Israel's aid blockade on the Gaza Strip, triggering a response from the US military, which began hammering the rebels with near-daily air strikes. In December, Israeli air strikes pummelled Sanaa airport and other targets, with Houthi media reporting six deaths.
Jordan Times
19-04-2025
- Jordan Times
Deadly US strikes hit Yemen fuel port used by Huthis
Graphic content / This grab taken from footage released by al-Masirah TV station of Yemen's Huthis shows fire and destruction at the site of US strikes on the Ras Issa fuel port in western Yemen on April 18, 2025 (AFP photo) SANAA — The US military said it had destroyed a key Yemeni fuel port as it targets the country's Huthi rebels, who said Friday that 20 people had been killed in the strikes. The attack on the Ras Issa fuel port aimed to cut off a source of supplies and funds for the Iran-backed Huthis, the US military said. Washington has hammered the Huthis with near-daily air strikes since March 15 in a bid to end their attacks on civilian shipping and military vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The rebels began their attacks in late 2023, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Israel's army said Friday they had intercepted an incoming missile from Yemen. In a statement, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said: "US forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Huthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue that has funded Huthi efforts to terrorise the entire region for over 10 years. "The objective of these strikes was to degrade the economic source of power of the Huthis, who continue to exploit and bring great pain upon their fellow countrymen". Ships "have continued to supply fuel via the port of Ras Issa" despite Washington designating the rebels a foreign terrorist organisation earlier this year, the military command added, without specifying the source of the fuel. Huthi health ministry spokesman Anees Alasbahi said the preliminary death toll stood at 20, including five paramedics. There were also "50 wounded workers and employees at the Ras Issa oil port, following the American aggression", he said on X. "The death toll is likely to rise as body parts are still being identified," he added. Fireball The port lies along the west coast of Yemen on the Red Sea. In images broadcast early Friday by the rebels' Al-Masira channel, which it presented as the "first images of the US aggression" against the port, a fireball lit up the area around the ships, while thick columns of smoke rose above what appeared to be an ongoing blaze. "Civil defence rescue teams and paramedics are making every effort to search for and extract victims and extinguish the fire," said Alasbahi. The Huthis have regularly fired missiles and drones on Israel since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023 following an attack on Israel by Hamas militants. "Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted," Israel's army said Friday on Telegram, adding that aerial defence systems had been deployed "to intercept the threat". Huthi attacks have hampered shipping through the Suez Canal -- a vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of world shipping traffic -- forcing many companies into a costly detour around the tip of southern Africa. The United States first began conducting strikes against the Huthis under president Joe Biden's administration, and his successor President Donald Trump has vowed that military action against the rebels would continue until they are no longer a threat to shipping. On Thursday evening, France's Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said a French frigate in the Red Sea destroyed a drone launched from Yemen. "Our armed forces continue their commitment to ensuring maritime freedom of movement," he said on X. US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told journalists Thursday that the Chinese satellite firm Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company was "directly supporting Iran-backed Huthi terrorist attacks on US interests". "Their actions -- and Beijing's support of the company, even after our private engagements with them -- is yet another example of China's empty claims to support peace," she said. Bruce did not initially provide details on the nature of the company's support for the rebels, but later referred to "a Chinese company providing satellite imagery to the Huthis."
