Latest news with #HouthiResponse
Arab News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Yemen's Houthis threaten Israeli port
SANAA: Yemen's Houthis said Monday that they would target Haifa port in Israel as part of a 'naval blockade' in response to Israeli escalation in the Gaza war. The Houthis would 'begin working to enforce a naval blockade of the port of Haifa,' said military spokesman Yehya Saree. 'All companies with ships present in or heading to this port are hereby notified that, as of the time of this announcement, the aforementioned port has been included in the target bank,' the Houthi spokesman added. The move was 'in response to the Israeli enemy's escalation of its brutal aggression against our people and in Gaza,' he said, adding their attacks on Israel would 'cease once the aggression on Gaza ends and the blockade is lifted.' Earlier on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country will 'take control' of the whole of Gaza, as rescuers reported dozens killed in a newly intensified offensive.
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.
