Israel Strikes Sanaa Airport, Destroys Houthis’ Final Aircraft, Defense Minister Says
“We are also in the process of instituting an aerial and naval blockade on the Houthis to deter future attacks on Israel,” Katz added.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — The Israeli military launched a new airstrike on Yemen’s Sanaa International Airport on Wednesday, targeting what Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described as the Houthis’ last operational aircraft at the site. The strike was part of a broader response to a recent wave of ballistic missile attacks fired from Yemen toward Israel, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Israel Strikes Sanaa Airport, Destroys Houthis’ Final Aircraft, Defense Minister Says!
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“We are also in the process of instituting an aerial and naval blockade on the Houthis to deter future attacks on Israel,” Katz added.
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Defense Minister Katz stated that the Israeli Air Force had previously struck the airport multiple times over the past several months, but Wednesday’s operation marked the destruction of the final plane in the Houthis’ possession at the location. “We are also in the process of instituting an aerial and naval blockade on the Houthis to deter future attacks on Israel,” Katz added.
The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, also confirmed the strike, asserting that Israel would escalate its response if necessary. “Anyone who doesn’t understand this through force – will understand it through even greater force,” he said. He emphasized that Iran was the real force behind the Houthis, stating, “The Houthis are just the symptom. The main force behind them is Iran, and it is responsible for the aggression coming from Yemen.”
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen has launched more than 400 attacks targeting Israel, using both ballistic missiles and drones. While most of the projectiles have been intercepted by Israeli or allied defense systems, a drone strike in July 2024 resulted in the death of one Israeli civilian.
These attacks have caused repeated disruptions to Israeli civilian life, forcing millions to seek shelter during alerts and leading many international airlines to suspend flights to Israel — especially after a drone narrowly missed Ben Gurion Airport earlier this month.
Initially, the United States took the lead in responding to Houthi aggression, conducting its own series of strikes throughout late 2023 and early 2024. However, following an agreement between the Trump administration and the Houthis to halt attacks on U.S. shipping, American involvement sharply declined, leaving Israel to act unilaterally.
Since July 2024, Israel has conducted approximately ten strikes on Houthi targets, including ports, power infrastructure, and key facilities in Hodeidah and Sanaa. These operations are part of Israel’s broader strategy to diminish the Houthis’ capabilities and deter further aggression.
Israeli officials believe there are only two realistic paths to halting Houthi attacks: a renewed ceasefire between Israel and Hamas — during which the Houthis paused their assaults earlier this year — or support for the Houthis’ Sunni rivals in Yemen to regain territorial control. However, analysts say the latter option would require substantial U.S. backing, which has so far not been forthcoming.
The escalation in Yemen adds another layer to the already complex regional landscape, as Israel continues to confront threats on multiple fronts — from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and now persistently from Yemen.
The article has been updated with the latest information.
