Yemen Monitor/Sana’a/Special:
A source told “Yemen Monitor” that Israeli airstrikes targeting Sana’a International Airport on Sunday evening resulted in the destruction of three civilian aircraft that the Houthi group was illegally holding.
The source indicated that “the Houthis had evacuated their elements from Sana’a Airport minutes before the bombing, disregarding the civilian aircraft and making them vulnerable to Israeli bombing, despite their knowledge of the bombing hours in advance.”
The Israeli bombing came in response to a Houthi missile attack that targeted Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, as the Israeli strikes also included the port of Hodaidah on the Red Sea, putting it out of service.
The Houthis had confiscated three aircraft belonging to Yemenia Airways, despite repeated demands from the company’s board of directors to make local, regional, and international efforts to pressure the group to release the aircraft and frozen financial assets.
On June 26 of last year, Yemenia Airways accused the Houthi group – classified as “terrorist” – of detaining four aircraft that were transporting Yemeni pilgrims from Jeddah to Sana’a, in addition to holding more than $120 million of the company’s funds in Sana’a for more than a year.
