SANAA/JERUSALEM, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Intensive Israeli airstrikes struck Yemen's capital Sanaa and the northern province of Amran on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least three people and injuring 38, according to health authorities run by the Houthi militant group.
Local witnesses reported thick black smoke rising over both Sanaa and Amran following the attacks. In Sanaa, the strikes hit Sanaa International Airport, three power plants, and three military sites.
In Amran, about 60 km north of the capital, airstrikes targeted a concrete factory, according to eyewitnesses.
The Houthi-run al-Masirah TV also reported airstrikes on the electricity transformers located in the northern part of the capital Sanaa.
A Yemeni government source based in Aden confirmed to Xinhua that the strikes on Sanaa airport "destroyed three Yemeni Airlines aircraft that had been seized previously by the Houthis, who had prevented them from operating between airports in Aden and Hadramout." The source noted that the departure lounge and runway were also damaged, rendering the Sanaa airport inoperable. A fourth aircraft belonging to the airline reportedly remains at Queen Alia Airport in Jordan.
The Israeli military later confirmed that it carried out the strikes, saying it has rendered the airport inoperable, and that another target, the concrete factory in Amran, was used by Houthi forces for military purposes.
Minutes before the strike, an Israeli army spokesman issued a warning on social media platform X, urging civilians in the area to evacuate immediately.
Houthis' political bureau, in a statement aired by al-Masirah TV, vowed it would continue launching missile attacks against Israeli targets and the U.S. warships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.
Despite the Houthis' claim to have manufactured what they called "hypersonic ballistic missiles and long-range drones", the group has no air defense systems to protect millions of Yemeni civilians in the cities under its control. Also, the group has no concrete shelters to secure the residents living near or around the military sites.
Tuesday's airstrike followed a series of Israeli attacks on Yemen's Hodeidah province a day earlier, which killed at least four people and wounded 39 others. The airstrikes hit the port city of Hodeidah, its airport, a cement factory, and military sites northeast of the city, causing significant damage to infrastructure.
On Tuesday morning, all gas stations in the capital Sanaa, and other provinces stopped supplying fuel to cars. Long lines of cars were seen waiting in front of a few stations in Sanaa. However, at the same time, the black markets thrive. The Houthi authorities blamed the severe fuel shortage on the Israeli airstrikes on Hodeidah's ports.
The Israeli military said the strikes were in response to a missile launched by Houthi forces on Sunday toward Israel's Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. The missile caused four light injuries and some damage, according to Israel's emergency services.
The Houthi forces have been targeting Israel since November 2023 in what they describe as an act of solidarity with Palestinians. The group has said it would halt its attacks if Israel ends its military campaign and blockade on Gaza.
Following the latest attack, UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, condemned in a brief statement both the Houthi attack on Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday and the Israeli airstrikes in the past two days.
"The strike carried out by Houthis on Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, followed by strikes in response by Israel on Sanaa Airport and Hodeidah port in Yemen, mark a grave escalation in an already fragile and volatile regional context," Grundberg said in the statement posted on social media platforms by his office.
"I once again urge all stakeholders to exercise the utmost restraint and refrain from escalatory actions that risk inflicting further suffering on civilians," Grundberg added. ■
