Israel launched four airstrikes on Yemen’s Sana’a international airport on Wednesday, May 28, destroying the last operational airplane of Yemenia airlines minutes before it was to fly to Saudi Arabia with passengers travelling for the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

“Yemen’s support for the Palestinian people in Gaza facing Israeli genocide remains steadfast despite repeated attacks by the Zionist regime,” claimed Yemen’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement the day after the airstrikes.

The Israeli attack caused massive damage to the airport and other civilian infrastructure, making it inoperable.

“The attack on Sana’a international airport illustrates the brutal nature of the Zionist entity and the unprecedented level of criminality it has reached in modern history,” the ministry’s statement added, calling on the international community to intervene immediately to stop Israel from its “reckless behavior” which poses “a great threat to regional and global peace and security.

The statement followed a strongly worded May 28 condemnation of Israel’s repeated attacks on civilian facilities in the country by Abdulmalik al-Houthi, the leader of Ansar Allah, which governs northern Yemen.

“The zionist regime is in a weak position and is trying to revive its deterrence through launching attacks on Yemen’s civilian infrastructure,” al-Houthi said.

Yemen’s people “will never abandon the Palestinian cause and will continue to provide all possible support until the [Israeli] aggression ends, the siege of Gaza is lifted, and the Zionist occupation is brought to an end,” the ministry statement emphasized.

Israeli strikes target civilian infrastructure 

Israel launched the airstrikes, allegedly in response to two Yemeni missiles fired Tuesday inside Israel. The Yemeni missiles were reportedly shot down by Israeli air defenses without causing any damage.

Ansar Allah has been firing its missiles inside Israel as a part of its complete air blockade announced earlier this month in solidarity with the people of Gaza, who have been facing a complete Israeli blockade that has caused massive starvation and a humanitarian crisis in the besieged Palestinian territory.

In response, Israel launched over 30 strikes on the Sana’a airport May 5, making it dysfunctional for days. It only recently resumed limited operations. However, Wednesday’s strike has once again rendered the airport unusable.

Israel has increased the frequency of its airstrikes on the war-ravaged Yemen, mostly targeting civilian facilities such as Hodeidah port and Sana’a international airport. A rise in the frequency of Israeli attacks was recorded after the US, Israel’s close ally, signed a deal with Ansar Allah to cease its strikes on Yemen earlier this month.

Ceasefire uncertainty after 600 days of war on Gaza

The US and its European allies, particularly the UK, were bombing Yemen from November-December 2023 ostensibly in response to Yemen’s targeting of ships headed to Israel from the Red Sea.

Ansar Allah had announced a complete blockade on sea routes to Israel in solidarity with the people of Gaza facing Israel’s aggression, which has killed over 60,000 Palestinians since October 2023.

The Israeli war on Gaza has now exceeded 600 days. On Friday, Israel announced its agreement with the new ceasefire deal proposed by the US. However, it is not clear whether the agreement will be implemented or not.

Hamas said it is still considering the details of the new proposal. Hamas had agreed to an earlier version of the ceasefire proposal on Wednesday which was changed by the US after Israeli objections.

Israel escalates accusations against Iran as Tehran condemns Israeli war crimes

Applauding the attacks on Yemen’s civilian airports on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of being the real force behind Ansar Allah’s attacks on Israel.

Iran has consistently denied any involvement in such attacks. However, it extends its political support to Ansar Allah as a resistance front against imperialist interventions in the region.

On Wednesday, Iran condemned the Israeli attacks on Sana’a international airport. Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that “the Israeli regime’s actions, namely its targeting of essential civilian infrastructures such as airports and food warehouses, constitute clear war crimes and crimes against humanity.”