Israeli fighter jets bombed the Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport in Yemen on Wednesday, in response to the Iran-backed group’s near-daily ballistic missile attacks on Israel.
Since the Israel Defense Force’s last strike on Yemen, on May 16, the Houthis launched at least seven missiles and several drones at Israel, the latest of them on Tuesday morning.
Israeli Air Force fighter jets, refuelers, and spy planes participated in Wednesday’s operation.
In a statement, the IDF said the strikes hit the airport and an aircraft used by the Houthis “to transport terrorists who advanced terror attacks on Israel.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz said the aircraft was the last remaining plane in use by the Houthis. The other planes were destroyed in an Israeli strike on the airport on May 6, also in response to frequent Houthi attacks.
The strike earlier this month destroyed the airport’s terminal and six planes, and left craters on its runway, according to Yemeni authorities. The airfield reopened for a flight 11 days later.
Also this month, the IAF struck the Houthi-controlled Hodeida and Salif ports in Yemen in response to the Iran-backed group’s repeated attacks on Israel.
The Houthis vowed to respond and have since continued their missile attacks on Israel.
“Similar to the ports of Hodeida and Salif that were struck last week, the main airport in Sanaa is routinely operated by the Houthi regime and serves its terror purposes. This is another example of the cruel use made by the Houthi terror organization of civilian infrastructure for terror activities,” the IDF said Wednesday.
Katz said the strike was “a clear message and a direct continuation of the policy we established: Anyone who fires at the State of Israel will pay a heavy price.”
“The ports in Yemen will continue to be struck heavily, and the airport in Sanaa will be destroyed again and again, as will other strategic infrastructures in the area used by the Houthi terror organization and its supporters,” Katz continued.
“The Houthi terror organization will be under naval and aerial blockade, as we pledged and warned. Anyone who harms us will be harmed sevenfold,” he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a statement, similarly said, “We operate by a simple principle: Anyone who harms us — we will harm them.”
“The Houthis are just a symptom. The main power behind them is Iran, which is responsible for the aggression emanating from Yemen,” he said.
The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and general maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas massacre.
They held their fire when a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas in January 2025.
By that point, they had fired over 40 ballistic missiles and dozens of attack drones and cruise missiles at Israel, including one that killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July, prompting Israel’s first strike in Yemen.
Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 41 ballistic missiles and at least 10 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.