Israel launches wave of airstrikes on Yemen's Sanaa Airport

Israeli airstrikes have targeted the Sanaa International Airport in the Yemeni capital on Tuesday, following strikes on the port city of Hodeida that killed four people and wounded 39, according to the health ministry in Houthi-controlled territory.

The Israeli military announced that the strikes fully disabled the airport, with "flight runways, aircraft and infrastructure" being targeted. Israel said that the airport "served as a central hub for the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons and operatives." 

Prior to the strikes Israel's Arabic language military spokesperson Avichay Adraee made a post on X calling on people to leave the airport, adding that "failure to evacuate and move away from the place exposes you to danger".

Israeli planes launched waves of attacks on the airport and other areas of Sanaa, with Adraee announcing that a number of targets were struck that forced the complete closure of the airport. 

This includes "several central power stations in the Sanaa region", as well as the Amran cement factory north of Sanaa which he claimed was key to building Houthi tunnels and military infrastructure.

Israeli media also reported that aircraft targeted the main airport terminal, runways, the watchtower, a substation providing electricity to the airport, fuel storage sites, as well as aircraft.

Israel had struck Hodeida on Monday, with the military saying it had deployed 20 aircraft that dropped 50 bombs on multiple targets, including port infrastructure in Hodeida and a concrete factory in the Bajil district.

Around 70 percent of the port's five docks were damaged in the attack, Yemeni sources told Reuters.

Hodeida is the only port under Houthi control and a critical entry point for humanitarian aid. The Israeli military alleged that the port was used to import weapons from Iran, and described the Bajil concrete plant as a site for "tunnel construction and military infrastructure".

According to Axios, the operation was coordinated with Washington, although no US aircraft participated.

The US has conducted its own air campaign against the Houthis since early March, with hundreds of strikes across Yemen.

Nasruddin Amer, head of the Houthis' media office, condemned the attacks as "aggressive Zionist-American raids on civilian facilities", and vowed they would not deter Houthi military operations.

"The naval and air blockade on the enemy entity will not be lifted until the aggression stops and the siege on Gaza is lifted," he added. "This aggression will be responded to."

The Israeli strikes come days after the Yemeni rebels launched a ballistic missile that struck near Ben-Gurion airport on Sunday, prompting several major airlines to cancel flights to Israel.

The Sanaa strike marks Israel's seventh direct attack on Houthi targets, part of an escalating tit-for-tat campaign that began after the Houthis declared a blockade of international shipping bound for Israel through the Red Sea to protest the war on Gaza.

Israel also carried out strikes in parts of Syria and the Lebanese village of Janta on Monday, near the eastern border with Syria.

Editors note: This story has been updated on 6 May, 14:22 GMT, to include an announcement from the Israeli military and information about Israeli strikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa.