Israeli air strikes hit Sanaa International Airport and infrastructure across western Yemen, killing at least six people and injuring dozens according to the Houthi-run Saba news agency. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and other United Nations personnel were at the airport when the attack began but were reported safe.
Israel acknowledged carrying out the operation and said its fighter jets conducted intelligence-based strikes against Houthi military infrastructure. Its stated targets included the airport, the Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib power stations, and facilities at the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Kanatib. Houthi media also reported attacks at the airport and a Hodeidah power station. The supplied accounts do not independently determine whether every damaged site had a military function.
Saba reported that three people were killed and 30 injured at the airport, with three more killed and ten wounded in Hodeidah province. It was unclear from the available evidence whether the casualties were civilians or Houthi members. Earlier reporting from Houthi media carried lower preliminary figures, illustrating how the toll changed as information emerged.
Tedros said his team was preparing to board a flight when the airport came under bombardment. One member of the aircraft's crew was injured, while the control tower, departure lounge and runway were damaged. He said the UN and WHO delegation had visited Yemen to seek the release of detained UN personnel and assess health and humanitarian conditions. Damage to the airport delayed the team's departure.
The strikes followed continued exchanges between the Houthis and Israel. A day earlier, the group had fired a ballistic missile and two drones toward Israel, according to the supplied reporting. A Houthi missile had injured more than a dozen people in Tel Aviv during the preceding week. Israel had also struck Sanaa and Hodeidah the week before, while Israeli leaders warned that attacks on Yemen would continue.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the Houthis as part of an Iranian-aligned network and said Israel would continue its campaign. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of the group's supreme revolutionary committee, called the December 26 strikes aggressive and said confrontation would persist until the Gaza conflict ended.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the escalation especially alarming and warned of wider regional risks. The episode combined a military exchange with direct disruption to a civilian airport and a UN humanitarian mission. The evidence confirms Israel's responsibility and the principal reported targets, but leaves the precise military value of each site, the status of the casualties and the full physical damage unresolved. Tedros said the delegation would have to wait for airport repairs before leaving, turning infrastructure damage into an immediate constraint on the international mission.
