Israeli jets bombarded Houthi rebel targets across Yemen on Thursday in response to drone and missile attacks on Israel by the Iran-backed terror group.

The Israeli military said its warplanes struck “Houthi terror regime” targets at Sana’a airport, as well as military infrastructure at the Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib power stations.

Air strikes also hit military infrastructure in the Al-Hudaydah, Salif and Ras Kanatib ports on the western coast, it added.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, the Houthi rebels were using the sites to “transfer Iranian weapons to the region and for the entry of senior Iranian officials”.  It added: “This is a further example of the Houthis’ exploitation of civilian infrastructure for military purposes.”

The airstrikes were approved by Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, the IDF chief of staff, Israel Katz, the defence minister, and Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, the IDF said. It was not immediately clear how much damage the strikes caused or whether there were any casualties.

It is the fourth time Israel has launched airstrikes against Houthi infrastructure in Yemen since the group began launching missiles at Israel in October last year.