The IDF said fighter jets also hit several major power stations and a concrete plant in the raid. The Houthi‑run Ministry of Health reported at least one civilian killed and three wounded in the airport strike.
Tuesday’s operation marks a sharp intensification after a Houthi ballistic missile breached Israel’s air defenses on Sunday to hit near Ben Gurion airport—an attack the rebels said was retaliation for Israel’s Gaza offensive.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed further reprisals, telling social media followers on Sunday that Israel would respond “at a time and place of our choosing” to both the airport strike and “their Iranian terror masters.”
Houthi leader Mohammed al‑Bukhaiti promised “escalation in kind,” warning Al Arabiya TV of multiple sensitive targets inside Israel.
On Monday, the IDF launched months‑first strikes on Yemen’s Red Sea port of Hodeidah and an adjacent cement factory, killing at least one and wounding 35, according to local health authorities. Israel said the port was being used to transfer Iranian weapons to the Houthis.
These cross‑border exchanges come amid growing concern over a widening regional conflict and reports of Houthi plans to impose an “air blockade” on Israel.
Israel’s latest warnings and evacuation notices for Yemen’s airport—the first such alerts issued more than 1,000 miles from its borders—underscore the expanding theatre of operations.
(jh)
Source: BBC, CNN, Euronews