Israel Hits Last Yemenia Airways Plane in Strike on Houthi Targets at Sanaa Airport

Sanaa – Israel has announced it struck multiple Houthi targets in Yemen, including the last operational plane belonging to Yemenia Airways at Sanaa International Airport, following a missile attack launched by the Houthis towards Israel a day earlier.

The Israeli Defence Ministry confirmed the strike and said it was a continuation of its policy to respond firmly to any aggression. “This is a clear message and a direct continuation of the policy we have established: whoever fires at the State of Israel will pay a heavy price,” the ministry said in a statement.

According to Khaled al-Shaief, Director General of Sanaa International Airport, the Israeli airstrike completely destroyed the final civilian aircraft that Yemenia Airways had been operating. The airport, the largest in Yemen, had only recently resumed operations after undergoing temporary repairs and runway restoration following earlier Israeli strikes.

Al-Shaief stated via a post on social media platform X that the latest strike rendered the airport non-operational again. Three other Yemenia planes were destroyed in a separate attack earlier this month.

The Houthis, an Iran-aligned militant group that controls areas where about 60% of Yemen’s population resides, have been involved in launching missiles and drones at Israel since the start of the Gaza conflict in October 2023. These attacks, they claim, are acts of solidarity with Palestinians.

Most of the Houthi-launched projectiles have been intercepted or failed to reach Israeli territory. Israel has carried out several retaliatory operations in response.

Read more: Pakistan Strongly Denounces Israeli Provocations at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Wednesday that Israel would respond with greater force to any threats. “But, as I have said more than once, the Houthis are only the symptom. The main driving force behind them is Iran, which is responsible for the aggression emanating from Yemen,” he said.

Meanwhile, the United States, which had previously launched a series of strikes on Houthi positions, has paused its military campaign after the group agreed to halt attacks on U.S. naval vessels in the Red Sea.

No immediate comment was issued by the Houthi group following the latest Israeli strike.