Israeli warplanes carried out a major strike on Sana'a's international airport and a nearby airbase a short time after Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesperson, issued an urgent evacuation order for all individuals present at Sanaa International Airport in Yemen.
The reports cited local Houthis saying the airport had been decimated and that the strikes also hit nearby power stations. The IDF later confirmed that the airport had been "taken out of service" in an Israeli Air Force strike, the second in as many days against Houthi rebels.
🚨First images from the strike https://t.co/CuHNZStxE2 pic.twitter.com/8TepBWLMYM
— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) May 6, 2025
"The Israel Air Force conducted strikes on Houthi terror infrastructure at the main airport in Sana'a, Yemen, completely disabling it. This attack follows a recent Houthi missile launch targeting Ben Gurion International Airport," the IDF said in a statement. "The Sana'a airport, like the Hodeidah port that was struck yesterday, is used by the Houthi regime to transfer weapons and operatives, and is regularly operated for terrorist purposes. This represents another example of the Houthi terrorist organization's use of civilian infrastructure for terror activities.
⭕️ 𝐈𝐃𝐅 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐣𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐢 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐚'𝐚
The strike was carried out in response to the attack launched by the Houthi terrorist…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 6, 2025
Additionally, several major power stations in the Sana'a area were targeted. These facilities provide significant electrical infrastructure that the Houthi regime exploits for terrorist operations, demonstrating another instance of the regime's misuse of Yemeni civilian infrastructure for terrorist purposes.
Video: The aftermath of the strike on Yemen / Credit: Social media
According to the IDF, "The Israeli forces also struck the Al-Amran concrete factory north of Sana'a, an important resource for the Houthi regime used in constructing tunnels and military infrastructure. The damage to this factory impacts the terror government's economy and military capabilities. The strikes were conducted with precision while taking precautionary measures where possible to minimize harm to civilians and civilian property. The operation was authorized by the Israeli Air Force commander and the IDF chief of staff."
"The Houthi terror regime has been operating for the past year and a half under Iranian guidance and funding to attack Israel and its allies, destabilize regional order, and disrupt global freedom of navigation. The IDF remains determined to continue operating forcefully against any entity threatening Israeli citizens, at whatever distance necessary.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses," the statement continued.
The directive to evacuate the airport, posted on X, called for the immediate evacuation of the airport area, fueling speculation that Israel was going to target the area just hours after it struck a key port and a major concrete factory in the Houthi-controled area in Yemen.
The evacuation order came amid heightened tensions, with Houthi forces intensifying missile attacks on Israel, including multiple missile strikes over the past week, including one that fell just outside International Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv in early May.
🚨Burning Planes - Dramatic footage of the IDF strike results on the airport in Yemen. https://t.co/CZpDamjpwT pic.twitter.com/UpLmKXjFbB
— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) May 6, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed retaliation against the Houthis and their alleged Iranian backers, citing these attacks as a threat to Israel's sovereignty. The Houthis, which are a Shiite group backed by Iran, have taken over parts of Yemen and have consistently been firing on Israel since the outbreak of the Oct. 7. The missiles have been mostly intercepted, but have become a major nuisance for to Israel, which has struck back at Yemen multiple times. The US has also recently a launched a major campaign against the Houthis over their ongoing disruption of navigation through the Red Sea in solidarity with Hamas.
The first post, accompanied by a map highlighting the airport, urges everyone in the vicinity to vacate the area immediately. It reads, "We call on you to evacuate the airport area – Sana'a International Airport – immediately and to warn everyone around you of the need to evacuate this area at once. Failure to evacuate and move away from the location puts you in danger." The post included a map of the area surrounding Sana'a International Airport.
Israel's strikes in the vicinity of Yemen's port of Hodeidah on Monday killed four people and injured 39, according to the Houthis.
The second post reinforces the message, adding a note about preserving safety and a video used by Adraee stating, "For your safety, we call on you to evacuate the airport area – Sana'a International Airport – immediately and to warn everyone around you of the need to evacuate this area at once. Failure to evacuate and move away from the location puts you in danger."
Video: Footage from the attack by the Israeli Air Force on Houthi installations on May 5, 2025 / Credit: IDF
Sana'a International Airport, located 9 miles north of Yemen's capital, serves as the country's primary international airport and a hub for Yemenia Airways. It has been a focal point in Yemen's ongoing conflict, with past incidents including Saudi-led airstrikes in December 2021 that caused significant damage and Houthi restrictions on UN and humanitarian flights in 2024.
#عاجل ‼️ إلى جميع المتواجدين في منطقة مطار صنعاء الدولي وحفاظًا على سلامتكم
⭕️ندعوكم إلى اخلاء منطقة المطار - مطار صنعاء الدولي - بشكل فوري وتحذير كل من يتواجد بجواركم عن ضرورة اخلاء هذه المنطقة فورًا
⭕️عدم الاخلاء والابتعاد عن المكان يعرضكم للخطر pic.twitter.com/CNv0GWIvjs— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) May 6, 2025
The airport's strategic importance, adjacent to the Al-Dailami Air Base, makes it a frequent target in military operations. Most recently, on December 26, 2024, Israeli airstrikes reportedly targeted the airport's control tower and terminal, killing three civilians and injuring 17, according to Yemeni sources.
