The Houthi movement in Yemen announced that they launched missiles and drones towards Israel, following Israeli airstrikes on Sana’a’s international airport and other locations in Houthi-controlled zones.
These strikes took place as the head of the UN’s World Health Organization mentioned that he and his team were preparing to depart from Yemen’s capital, which is under Houthi control.
Shortly after, the Houthis claimed to have targeted Ben Gurion airport with a missile and sent drones towards Tel Aviv, as well as targeting a ship in the Arabian Sea.
No further information was available at that time.
The Israeli military did not promptly respond to inquiries regarding whether they were aware of WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s presence in the area during the strikes.
This attack by Israel occurred just a day after the Houthis reported launching a missile and two drones towards the country.
Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning to the rebels, stating that Israel would “continue until the job is done.”
Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon was implemented in late November, the Houthis have intensified their attacks against Israel.
According to Al-Masirah TV, the Houthis reported that the Israeli airstrikes resulted in six fatalities, following earlier claims that two individuals lost their lives at the airport in the Houthi-controlled capital, and another at the port of Ras Issa.
These strikes on the airport, military sites, and power facilities in Houthi territories represent the second instance of Israeli operations in Yemen since December 19, in response to missile fire from the rebels targeting Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his warnings to the rebels, emphasizing that Israel would “continue until the job is done.”
“We are determined to sever this branch of terrorism linked to the Iranian axis of evil,” he stated in a video message.
We need your consent to load this rte-player content. We use rte-player to manage additional content that can set cookies on your device and track your activities. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preferences
UN official refutes Israeli statement that Yemen airport was a military target.
The leading UN figure for humanitarian assistance in Yemen has rejected claims that Sana’a airport served military purposes, having narrowly avoided an Israeli bombing raid.
Israel maintained that it targeted “military infrastructure” during the strikes, alleging that Houthi facilities were used for “smuggling Iranian arms” and welcoming high-ranking Iranian officials.
Julien Harneis, the UN humanitarian coordinator, stated that the airport “is a civilian site utilized by the United Nations.”
“It is a hub for the International Committee of the Red Cross and serves civilian flights – that is its primary function,” he explained.
“All parties involved in the conflict are obliged to refrain from attacking civilian targets,” he emphasized.
“The onus is on them, not on us. We don’t need to demonstrate our civilian status.”
A soldier stands near the damaged air traffic control tower at Sana’a Airport, Yemen.
Mr. Harneis recounted how he, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and 18 other UN personnel were caught in the assaults, which coincided with the landing of a packed passenger plane.
One UN staff member sustained serious injuries due to the airstrikes, which devastated the air traffic control facility, he reported.
The team was swiftly moved into armored vehicles for safety.
“There was one airstrike about 300 meters to our south and another about 300 meters to our north,” he detailed.
“What was most alarming was that the airstrikes occurred as a civilian airliner from Yemenia Air, filled with hundreds of Yemenis, was preparing to land,” he added.
“In fact, that Yemenia Air flight was landing and taxiing when the air traffic control tower was destroyed.”
The Israeli attack came without “any warning of impending airstrikes,” he noted.
He asserted that the airport is “crucial” for maintaining humanitarian aid efforts in Yemen.
“If that airport becomes inoperable, it will paralyze humanitarian efforts,” he stated.
The UN has described Yemen as facing “the largest humanitarian crisis in the world,” with 24.1 million individuals requiring humanitarian assistance and protection.
Public services such as healthcare, water, sanitation, and education have collapsed due to years of conflict.
The Houthis have gained control over substantial portions of Yemen since capturing Sana’a and ousting the internationally recognized government in September 2014.
Israel’s airstrikes coincide with an increase in long-range attacks by the Houthis against Israel following a ceasefire with another Iranian-backed group, Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Just a week prior, on December 21, Israel’s military and emergency response teams reported that a projectile fired from Yemen injured 16 individuals in Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial hub.
A large number of drone and missile strikes on cargo vessels have led to retaliatory strikes against Houthi positions by US and occasionally British forces.
