Israeli airstrikes targeting the airport in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, reportedly caused immense destruction to its infrastructure, wiping out terminal facilities and leading to damages valued at roughly $500 million, according to the airport’s director, who spoke to Houthi-aligned media on Wednesday.
The Israeli bombardment followed repeated aerial assaults by the Iran-backed Houthis, including a missile strike that reached the vicinity of Ben Gurion Airport this past Sunday. Israel responded with a two-day military campaign.
On Tuesday, the United States said it would stop launching airstrikes against Houthi targets, claiming the group had committed to halting attacks on commercial vessels in critical Middle Eastern waterways.
However, the Houthis’ operations targeting Israel were not included in that agreement. Just a day after the U.S. announcement, the Israeli Air Force intercepted a drone believed to have originated from Yemen.
Speaking to the Al-Masirah outlet, Khaled al-Shaief, head of Sanaa’s airport, said the Israeli strikes had caused severe financial damage totaling approximately half a billion dollars.
“The enemy destroyed the terminals at Sanaa airport, including all equipment and devices,” he said, explaining that a storage facility had also been “completely leveled.”
He added that three aircraft belonging to Yemenia Airways were destroyed in the strikes, bringing the total number of damaged planes to six.
“There are alternatives to temporarily reopen the airport, and we need a long time to rehabilitate it and restore operations,” he said.
The airport in Sanaa had resumed international travel in 2022 after a six-year closure, with regular Yemenia flights to Amman, Jordan.
Many of the passengers departing from Sanaa were Yemenis seeking urgent medical attention abroad.
Anees Alasbahi, a spokesman for the Houthi-controlled health ministry, told AFP the bombing would “increase human suffering for sick people who need to travel abroad for treatment” and could hamper the flow of essential medicines into the country.
A representative for the Houthis, speaking anonymously to Al Jazeera, said their ceasefire understanding with Washington was meant to “serve the Palestinian cause and embarrass Israel,” confirming that the truce did not include any commitment to halt attacks on Israeli targets.
“We will continue targeting Israeli ships until aid is delivered to Gaza,” the unnamed spokesman told Al Jazeera. “We will assess any future American support for Israel and determine our position accordingly.”
“Our response to the Israeli entity is inevitably coming,” he warned, referencing Israeli air raids on the Sanaa airport, Hodeida’s seaport, and a cement plant under Houthi control over recent days.
Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the Houthis’ top negotiator, emphasized to Reuters that “the agreement does not include Israel in any way, shape or form.”
Both an Israeli and an American official confirmed separately to the Associated Press that the Trump administration did not notify Israel in advance about the ceasefire deal with the Houthis.
Israeli officials only became aware of the ceasefire once President Trump made it public during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military confirmed that its air defense system had downed a drone launched “from the east,” presumed to have originated in Yemen.
No alarms were activated, and no injuries were reported in the incident.
Since launching their campaign in November 2023, shortly after the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, the Houthis — whose official slogan declares “Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse on the Jews” — have repeatedly struck at Israeli targets and disrupted maritime navigation.
Following the renewal of the IDF’s military operations in Gaza on March 18, the Houthis have fired approximately 27 ballistic missiles and multiple drones toward Israeli territory.
These attacks have triggered widespread alarm, forcing countless Israelis to seek shelter day and night, with some sustaining injuries in the ensuing panic.
{Matzav.com Israel}