Sanaa airport runway in flames after Israeli strike

Israel launched strikes on Yemen's main airport on Wednesday, leaving a runway and aircraft in flames a day after Houthi militants fired several missiles towards Israel.

Smoke could be seen billowing over Sanaa’s skyline as a plane, said to belong to flag carrier Yemenia Airways, was seen burning, with debris scattered across the runway.

The airport had only resumed operations about two weeks ago after a several-day suspension following an earlier Israeli raid.

Bombs that struck Sanaa's main airport and an aircraft on the runway sent "a clear message ... whoever fires at the State of Israel will pay a heavy price”, Israel's defence ministry said.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said the raid “destroyed the last remaining plane used by the Houthis” and that “the airport in Sanaa will be destroyed again and again, as will other strategic infrastructure in the region used by the Houthi terrorist organisation and its supporters”.

The Houthi-run news agency Saba reported that four Israeli strikes targeted the airport runway and a Yemenia Airlines plane.

The airport's general director Khaled Al Shaief said in a post on X that the strike had completely destroyed the last of the civilian planes that Yemenia Airways was operating from the airport.

Hans Grundberg, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, said that "attacks on civilian infrastructure, including Sanaa airport in Yemen and Ben Gurion Airport in Israel are unacceptable."

"Today’s strike on Sanaa airport and the destruction of a Yemeni civilian aircraft deprives many Yemenis of a critical means to leave the country for medical, educational, family or religious purposes, especially at a time when thousands are preparing for Hajj," Mr Grundberg said in a statement.

He warned that the ongoing military confrontation between the Houthis and Israel "is exacerbating an already very fragile situation for Yemen and the region."

Israel has been launching major strikes in Yemen for months, which have targeted ports, industrial sites and airports. There was also a US air campaign against the group, which has now concluded.

Despite the military pressure, the Houthis have continued to fire on Israel throughout the Gaza War in solidarity with Palestinians.

The strikes, which regularly send millions of Israelis into shelters, have caused continuing disruption to flights into Israel. The Houthis have also attacked international shipping in nearby waters.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the strike that Israel operates “according to a simple principle: whoever harms us, we will harm him”.

“Whoever does not understand this with force, will understand this with more force. But as I have said many times, the Houthis are just the symptom. The main force behind them is Iran,” it added.