The Daily Star Ireland
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis announced that they launched missiles and drones towards Israel, following Israeli air raids that targeted Sanaa’s international airport and other sites in rebel-controlled areas. The Israeli strikes coincided with the head of the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) preparing to leave Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital.
In response, the Houthis claimed to have fired a missile at Ben Gurion airport and launched drones towards Tel Aviv and a ship in the Arabian Sea. Specific details were not immediately available.
Yemen’s civil aviation authority stated that the airport was planning to reopen after the strikes, which occurred while the UN aircraft was preparing for departure. The Israeli military has not commented on whether they were aware that WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was present at the time of the attack.
This escalation came after the Houthis launched a missile and two drones towards Israel the previous day. The Houthis’ attacks have intensified since late November, coinciding with a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, another Iran-backed group.
Houthi media, Al-Masirah TV, reported that Israeli strikes killed six people, following initial reports of fatalities at the airport and Ras Issa port. The strikes targeted military facilities and power stations in rebel-held areas, marking the second wave of attacks since December 19, when Israel responded to Houthi missile fire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to countering what he described as terrorism linked to Iran, vowing continued action.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the escalation, particularly the strikes on Sanaa airport, which he described as a threat to humanitarian efforts in Yemen, where the majority of the population relies on aid.
WHO chief Tedros, in Yemen to negotiate the release of detained UN staff and assess humanitarian conditions, recounted that he and his team were about to board their flight when the airport was bombed, damaging the control tower, departure lounge, and runway. Tedros confirmed that all UN staff were safe.
Eyewitnesses reported multiple strikes on the airport and adjacent Al-Dailami airbase. Additional strikes targeted a power station in Hodeida, a vital entry point for humanitarian aid in Yemen.
Earlier this year, Israeli strikes had targeted Hodeida following Houthi attacks. On December 19, Israel conducted its first strikes in Sanaa after a Houthi missile damaged a school in Israel. Those strikes targeted ports and energy infrastructure linked to Houthi military operations, reportedly killing nine people.
In the latest attacks, Israel’s military stated that its jets targeted Houthi military infrastructure, including facilities at the airport and power stations in Sanaa and Hodeida, as well as ports used for smuggling Iranian weapons and facilitating the entry of Iranian officials.
Iran’s foreign ministry condemned Israel’s actions, labeling them a violation of international peace and security and a crime against the Yemeni people.
