JERUSALEM (AP) — Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said Tuesday that Israeli strikes had hit the capital, Sanaa, shortly after Israel’s military issued a warning for people to evacuate the area of Yemen’s international airport.
There was no immediate information on any casualties.
The Houthis’ satellite news channel said the strikes had hit Sanaa International Airport. They came a day after Israel launched Monday night in retaliation for a missile strike the previous day on .
“We urge you to immediately evacuate the area of the airport and to warn anyone nearby to distance themselves immediately,” spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on social media, attaching a map of Sanaa International Airport. “Failure to evacuate the area endangers your lives.”
On Monday night, Israel targeted the in Yemen’s Red Sea province of Hodeida, killing at least one person and wounding 35. The rebels’ media office said at least six strikes hit the crucial Hodeida port. Others hit a cement factory in the district of Bajil, 55 kilometers (34 miles) northeast of Hodeida, the rebels said.
The Houthis on Sunday launched a missile near Tel Aviv, briefly halting flights and commuter traffic. Four people were lightly injured.
It was the first time a missile struck the grounds of Israel’s main airport, Ben Gurion, since the October 2023 start of the war in Gaza. It prompted a flurry of flight cancellations.
The Houthis have targeted Israel throughout the war in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, raising their profile as the last member of Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” capable of launching regular attacks on Israel.
The U.S. military under President Donald Trump has launched targeting the Houthis since March 15.
While most missiles launched by the Houthis have been intercepted, Israel’s missile defense systems, causing damage.
Israel has repeatedly struck against the rebels in Yemen.
It struck Hodeida and its oil infrastructure in July after killed one person and wounded 10 in Tel Aviv. In September, Israel struck Hodeida again, killing at least four people after a missile targeted Ben Gurion airport as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was returning to the country. In December, in Hodeida.
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Associated Press writers Jon Gambrel in Dubai and Julia Frankel in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
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