Houthis vow to retaliate after Israel hits Sanaa airport
Tel Aviv/Cairo
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have threatened Israel with retaliation following Israel's strike on the airport in Yemen's capital Sanaa on Tuesday, which the rebel group said killed three and wounded at least 35.
The attacks 'will not go unanswered,' said the Houthi's political bureau in a statement. The Houthi-aligned TV channel described the attacks as 'Israeli-American,' though the United States has not commented on the strikes.
The casualty figures were provided by the Houthi health ministry. Israel said its attacks on the Houthis, which in addition to Tuesday's airport strike included several attacks on Monday, were in response to Houthi attacks on Israel including a missile launched on Sunday that landed near Israel's Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.
On Monday, the Israeli military attacked the port in Hudaydah and a cement factory Israel said its strike on the airport disabled the facility and 'dismantled Houthi terrorist infrastructure' on the site, according to a statement by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Telegram. It said runways and aircraft had also been hit. 'The airport served as a central hub for the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons and operatives,' the IDF said.
In addition, the IDF said it had struck several power plants in the area, as well as a concrete plant north of Sanaa, which serves as a 'significant resource for the Houthi terrorist regime.' The Houthis said the two days of attacks on the airport and other infrastructure show that Israel's aim is to impose a siege on the Yemeni people.
Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war for 10 years, leaving the country effectively divided.
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