Israeli military issues evacuation warning for area around Yemen’s international airport

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s military on Tuesday warned people in the area of Yemen’s international airport in the capital, Sanaa, to evacuate immediately, a day after launching airstrikes in retaliation for Sunday’s rebel-launched missile strike on Israel’s international airport.

“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 Iranian-backed Houthi rebels 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 Bajil district 55 kilometers (34 miles) northeast of Hodeida, the rebels said.

The Houthis on Sunday launched a missile that struck an access road near Israel’s main airport 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 an intensified campaign of airstrikes targeting the Houthis since March 15.

While most missiles launched by the Houthis have been intercepted, some have penetrated 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 a Houthi drone attack 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, Israeli strikes killed at least nine people in Hodeida.