Israel launches massive airstrikes on Yemen’s biggest airport in revenge blitz after Houthi rebel attack on Tel Aviv
ISRAELI fighter jets launched massive airstrikes in Yemen and “disabled” the country’s international airport in the capital city of Sanaa.
The strikes reportedly targeted three civilian airplanes, the departure hall, the airport runway and a military air base under Houthi control.
It came after Israel launched airstrikes in retaliation for a Houthi missile strike the previous day on Israel’s international airport.
Israel promised to respond to the devastating strike on the Ben Gurion Airport as Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed: “Whoever harms us, we will strike them sevenfold.”
The Israeli military says strikes “fully” disabled the country’s international airport in the capital, Sanaa.
The Houthis satellite news channel al-Masirah reported the strikes, confirming the airport had been hit.
Footage aired on Israeli television showed thick black plumes of smoke rising above the skyline of Sanaa.
Social media video purported to show multiple strikes around Sanaa, with black smoke rising as the thumps of the blast echoed against the surrounding mountains.
The IDF issued a warning on social media for people to evacuate the area of Yemen’s international airport.
Spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote: “We urge you to immediately evacuate the area of the airport and to warn anyone nearby to distance themselves immediately.
“Failure to evacuate the area endangers your lives.”
The Houthis have now vowed to respond after Israeli fighter jets hit Sanaa airport and power stations following a missile strike by the rebels.
The Israeli “aggression will not pass without a response, and Yemen will not be discouraged from its stance in support of Gaza”, the Houthi political bureau said.
On Monday night, Israel targeted the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen’s Red Sea province of Hodeida, killing at least one person and wounding 35.
The rebels’ media office said at least six strikes hit the crucial Hodeida port.
Others hit a cement factory in the district of Bajil, 34 miles northeast of Hodeida, according to the Iran-backed proxy terror group.
The Houthi-run Health Ministry said the strikes killed at least four people and wounded 39 others.
The Houthis on Sunday launched a missile that struck an access road near Israel’s main airport near Tel Aviv, briefly halting flights and commuter traffic.
Four people were injured in the missile attack.
A chilling video captured the moment the ballistic missile soared through the sky before exploding as it hit the ground.
The missile blasted a groove near an access road within the airport’s perimeter.
The Israeli Defence Forces confirmed it had made several attempts to intercept the missile but failed to do so.
Israel’s powerful Iron Dome is responsible for thwarting enemy missiles before they hit.
Operators across the country work around the clock to fend off relentless attacks and the consistent threat of bombardment from Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
An IDF commander in Israel’s south told The Sun last month but it’s success rate is as high as 96 per cent – marking today’s failure a major blow for Tel Aviv.
The strike marks a major escalation between Israel and both the Houthis in Yemen and Iran.
And National Unity chairman Benny Gantz has even now said the attack must be blamed on Tehran.
The former defence minister said on X: “This is not Yemen, this is Iran. It is Iran that is firing ballistic missiles at the State of Israel, and it must bear responsibility.
“The Israeli government must wake up.”
The Houthis have targeted Israel throughout the war in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
They are now being viewed as the last member of Iran’s self-described Axis of Resistance capable of launching regular attacks on Israel after the IDF destroyed Hezbollah in Lebanon and crippled Hamas in Gaza.
It comes as the UK joined US forces in launching a fresh strike on a Houthi target in Yemen earlier this week.
RAF Typhoon jets, backed by Voyager air-to-air refuelling tankers, hit several drone manufacturing buildings 15 miles south of the capital Sanaa.
Washington and London have kept a close eye on the terror group after they started to attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since October 7.
Both Western nations hit back with powerful strikes of their own to try and deter the Yemen-based terrorists.
But the fighting has continued on the Red Sea with President Donald Trump ramping up US attacks in recent months.
Trump has launched Operation Rough Rider against the Houthis, which has seen more than 800 strikes since mid-March.
The attacks have wiped out dozens of terror targets, senior commanders and key infrastructure.
American forces are operating from two aircraft carriers in the region: the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea and the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea.
Israel has repeatedly struck against the rebels in Yemen.
It struck Hodeida and its oil infrastructure in July after a Houthi drone attack killed one person and wounded 10 in Tel Aviv.
In September, Israel struck Hodeida again, killing at least four people after a missile targeted Ben Gurion airport.
The attack came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was returning to the country.
In December, Israeli strikes killed at least nine people in Hodeida.
Who are the Houthis?
THE Houthi rebels have spent months terrorising the Red Sea by launching persistent missile and drone attacks on vessels and warships - but who are they?
The Shia militant group, which now controls large swaths of Yemen, spent over a decade being largely ignored by the world.
However, since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, they sprung from relative obscurity to holding roughly £1trillion of world trade hostage – turning one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes into an active warzone.
Their warped battle cry is “Death to America, Death to Israel, curse the Jews and victory to Islam”.
Why are they attacking ships?
After the October 7 massacre, Houthis began launching relentless drone and missile attacks on any ships – including warships – they deem to be connected with Israel in solidarity with their ally, Hamas.
In reality, they targeted commercial vessels with little or no link to Israel – forcing global sea traffic to largely halt operations in the region and sending shipping prices around the world soaring.
The sea assaults added to the carnage in the Middle East tinderbox as intense ripples from Israel’s war in Gaza were felt across the region – with Iran accused of stoking the chaos.
The Houthi chiefs pledged their Red Sea attacks would continue until Israel stopped its offensive in Gaza.
The group’s chiefs have previously said their main targets are Israel, and its allies the US and Britain.
And despite repeated threats from the West and joint US and UK strikes blitzing their strongholds in Yemen – Iran’s terror proxy appears undeterred.
The UK and US have hit Houthi bases as recently as this month after the terror group once again targeted boats in the shipping lane.
Israel has also hammered the group with airstrikes, reportedly hitting oil storage tanks at the port in Al Hudaydah.