Four strikes hit the runway and a Yemenia Airways plane, according to Houthi-affiliated media report.
Israel says it has launched air strikes on Yemen’s main airport in the capital, Sanaa, a day after Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired two projectiles towards Israel.
The Houthi-affiliated news outlet Al Masirah TV reported on Wednesday that four strikes hit the runway.
Khaled al-Shaief, general director of Sanaa International Airport, wrote on X that the strike had completely destroyed the last of the civilian planes that Yemenia Airways was operating from the airport.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that the Israeli air force struck Houthi “terror targets” at the airport and “destroyed the last aircraft remaining”.
“This is a clear message and a continuation of our policy: Whoever fires at the State of Israel will pay a heavy price,” Katz said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that any harm directed at Israel will be met with greater force.
“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,” Netanyahu said.
The attack comes a day after the Houthi armed group fired two projectiles towards Israel that were shot down by Israeli air defences. The Houthis later confirmed that they had launched two “ballistic missiles”.
Sanaa airport, the largest in Yemen, came back into service last week after temporary repairs and runway restoration following previous Israeli attacks.
It was mainly used by United Nations aircraft and the only remaining civilian aircraft of Yemenia Airways, after three others were destroyed in the last attack.
Since Israel began its war on Gaza in October 2023, the Houthis have repeatedly hit Israel in what they say is solidarity with the Palestinians in the enclave.
Last week, the Yemeni rebels warned they would impose a “naval blockade” on the Israeli port of Haifa after Israel ramped up its military offensive in Gaza.
As well as the attacks on Israel, the Houthis had fired upon shipping vessels in the Red Sea in November 2023, which had led to retaliatory military attacks by the United States and United Kingdom since January 2024.
However, earlier this month, the US agreed on a ceasefire with the Houthis, ending weeks of intense attacks on Houthi strongholds in Yemen.
