Israeli warplanes attack Houthi targets in Sanaa's airport: Israeli official

ADEN, Yemen - Israeli fighter jets conducted airstrikes on Sanaa International Airport Wednesday morning, destroying the last operational aircraft belonging to Yemenia Airlines, Yemen's national airline.

Al-Masirah TV, operated by the Houthi group, reported that Israeli warplanes targeted the Sanaa airport's runway and a Yemenia Airlines plane in four strikes.

Khaled al-Shaief, Houthi-appointed general director of Sanaa International Airport, confirmed the destruction of Yemen's last remaining commercial aircraft operated by the national airline.

"The Israeli enemy targeted the last Yemenia Airlines' plane operating at Sanaa International Airport and destroyed it," al-Shaief wrote on the social media platform X, posting photographs showing the destroyed aircraft engulfed in flames with smoke rising from the airport grounds.

Social media footage captured smoke billowing across Sanaa's skyline as the Yemenia Airways aircraft burned on the tarmac, with debris scattered across the runway.

Following the bombardment, Yemenia Airlines issued a statement, denouncing the attack and announcing the immediate suspension of all flights from Sanaa International Airport until further notice.

The attack has drawn strong condemnation from the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, who expressed concern over the escalating military confrontation's impact on Yemen's civilian population.

"The ongoing military confrontation between Houthis and Israel is exacerbating an already very fragile situation for Yemen and the region," said Grundberg on X.

"Attacks on civilian infrastructure, including Sanaa airport in Yemen and Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, are unacceptable."

The UN envoy emphasized that attacks on the airport would severely impact Yemeni civilians' ability to travel for essential purposes. "Today's strike on Sanaa airport and the destruction of a Yemeni civilian aircraft deprives many Yemenis of a critical means to leave the country for medical, educational, family, or religious purposes, especially at a time when thousands are preparing for Hajj," he said.

Grundberg called upon all parties to "exercise restraint, and uphold their obligations under international law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure."

The Houthi group, which controls northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, has been conducting attacks against Israeli targets since November 2023 in what it describes as solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The group has stated it would only cease its military operations if Israel ends its military campaign and blockade of Gaza.

Israel has responded with several major airstrikes against Yemeni targets. Two weeks ago, Israeli forces struck Sanaa International Airport, rendering it temporarily inoperable.