Yemen's Sanaa airport resumes operations after Israeli airstrikes

Aden (Yemen), May 16 (IANS) Sanaa International Airport, which was rendered inoperable by Israeli airstrikes earlier in May, resumed operations.

"The airport received the first UN flight this morning after its rehabilitation," Khaled Al-Shaif, director of the airport, said on Thursday on social media platform X.

Al-Shaif said "10 UN flights are scheduled to take off and land today Thursday, now that the airport is ready to receive flights again".

The announcement came after a visit by the Prime Minister, the first Deputy Prime Minister, and the Minister of transport and public works to the airport to inspect the damage caused by a series of Israeli air strikes earlier this month, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The technical and engineering teams completed the development work according to the specified timetable, allowing the airport to resume operations, which is a vital lifeline for Yemenis, especially in light of the current circumstances," Al-Shaif added.

Operations have been suspended since May 7 due to damage from the Israeli strikes after the Yemeni Houthis fired a missile that landed near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport in Israel in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

On May 6, Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes on the airport controlled by the Houthi group, completely disabling the facility that serves as a critical lifeline for humanitarian operations in Yemen.

Following the airstrikes, Al-Shaif announced that all flights to and from the airport had been suspended until further notice.

The airport reopened to international flights after a six-year gap in 2022, with regular flights to Jordan's capital Amman.

Yemenis in need of emergency medical treatment abroad have been among those relying on the airport.

Last week, the US announced it would end a bombing campaign that had significantly intensified since mid-March, with the Houthis also agreeing to stop attacking ships to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. The truce was mediated and confirmed by Oman.

But the deal did not mention Israel, which the Iran-backed Houthis vowed to continue attacking, as part of what they claim is a pressure campaign in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

The Yemeni group on Tuesday night claimed responsibility for a missile launched towards Israel, which set off air-raid sirens across regions.

"Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted," the Israeli military said, after earlier announcing it had "identified the launch of a missile from Yemen toward Israeli territory".

On Friday, the Israeli army said it had intercepted another Houthi missile with Defence Minister Israel Katz vowing to respond.

The Israeli military then issued an eviction notice for Yemenis to leave three ports in Houthi-controlled areas.

The Houthi Interior Ministry reported Israeli strikes after the warning for residents of Ras Isa, Hodeidah and Salif. There was no comment from Israel.

--IANS

int/khz