Shaun
The Israeli military has confirmed it carried out airstrikes targeting Sanaa International Airport in Yemen early on Tuesday (May 6), rendering it inoperable, following a missile attack by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels that briefly disrupted operations at Israel’s main airport.
The strike on the Yemen capital was first reported by Houthi media and later confirmed by sources speaking to Reuters.
Footage depicted dense black smoke billowing over Sanaa’s skyline. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the airport strike, but the attack marks a major escalation in hostilities between Israel and the Yemen-based rebel group.
Israel urged evacuation ahead of strike
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued a public warning on social media shortly before the strike, urging civilians to leave the area around Sanaa airport.
“We urge you to immediately evacuate the area of the airport and to warn anyone nearby to distance themselves immediately,” Adraee posted, alongside a map of the targeted area.
“Failure to evacuate the area endangers your lives.”
The Houthis’ satellite news channel said the Israeli strikes hit the airport directly.
Strikes follow missile hit near Ben Gurion airport
The retaliatory strikes came a day after the Houthis launched a missile that struck an access road near Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv on Sunday. Four people suffered light injuries and air traffic was halted briefly.
“This was the first time a missile struck the grounds of Ben Gurion since the war in Gaza began in October 2023,” an Israeli official told Reuters.
The rare hit on Israeli soil prompted Israel’s security cabinet to authorise an expansion of its military campaign, including continued operations in Gaza and beyond.
Hodeidah Port also targeted
Israel also struck Yemen’s key Red Sea port of Hodeidah on Monday (May 5), which it claims the Houthis are using to import weapons from Iran.
According to the Houthi-run health ministry, those strikes killed at least four people and injured 39. Other reports from the rebels’ media office claimed at least six strikes hit the Hodeidah port and nearby civilian infrastructure, including a cement factory in Bajil district.
Houthi missiles penetrate Israeli defenses
While many of the Houthis’ long-range missiles have been intercepted by Israel’s missile defense systems, Sunday’s strike revealed vulnerabilities.
“We will respond decisively to any attack on Israeli territory,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday, vowing retaliation after the missile strike near Ben Gurion.
The ‘Axis of Resistance’ and solidarity with Gaza
The Houthis have justified their attacks as part of their support for Palestinians in Gaza. As members of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance,” they see their role as central to the broader anti-Israel coalition, which includes Hezbollah and Iran-aligned militias in Iraq and Syria.
“We will not stop targeting Israel until the siege on Gaza ends,” a Houthi spokesperson said in a broadcast on Tuesday.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the Houthis have been launching attacks on Israel and targeting Red Sea shipping routes, claiming their actions are in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
