What happened?
On Wednesday, Israel bombed Sanaa International Airport in Yemen, aiming at what it called Houthi “terror targets.” The assault followed Yemen’s Houthi rebels’ launch of two ballistic missiles toward Israel, both of which were thwarted.
Damage:
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Four airstrikes hit the airport’s runway.
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The last operational Yemenia Airways civilian plane, used for Hajj pilgrimages, was destroyed.
Israel’s position:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said this was a direct reaction to aggression and cautioned that Iran, which supports the Houthis, is the actual driving force behind the assaults.
“Whoever fires at Israel will pay a heavy price.” — Israel Katz, Israeli Defense Minister
Houthi response:
Calling the Israeli attacks an act of desperation, leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi stated the strikes would not reduce their support for Palestinians in Gaza.
“No matter the size of Israeli aggression… it will not affect our people’s stance.” — Abdul-Malik al-Houthi
Context:
Since the Gaza conflict intensified, the Houthis have periodically fired missiles and drones toward Israel.
Together with Hezbollah in Lebanon and militias in Iraq and Syria, this forms a larger Iran-aligned regional axis confronting Israel.
