| 26 December 2024 Israeli attack on Yemen | |
|---|---|
| Part of theMiddle Eastern crisis (2023–present) December 2024 Israeli airstrikes in Yemen | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Target | Sanaa International Airport,Al-Dailami Air Base,Hudaydah Port, Ras Iffa port, Haziz and Ras Qantib power stations |
| Date | 26 December 2024 |
| Executed by |  Israel Defense Forces |
| Outcome | |
| Casualties | 6 killed, 40 wounded[2] |
On 26 December 2024, twenty-fiveIsraeli Air Force aircraft struck multiple targets in the areas ofYemen controlled by theHouthi Movement, most notably on the capital'sSanaa International Airport.[3] According to Israel, the attacks, which were part of their operation code-namedOperation Tzelilei HaKerem (English:Operation Sounds of the Vineyard), were carried out in response to the firing ofballistic missiles andunmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) toward Israel by the Houthi Movement.[4] It took place as part of multipleIsraeli airstrikes in Yemen in December amidst theHouthi involvement in the Gaza war.[5]
Since the outbreak of theGaza war on 7 October 2023, theHouthi Movement inYemen has been engaged in a spillover conflict withIsrael. On 20 July 2024, Israel conductedattacks onHudaydah Port in Al Hudaydah, Yemen, claiming to have targeted Houthi infrastructure. They carried out anaerial bombing of allegedammunition depots,oil storage facilities, andpower stations. Israel struck targets Inside Yemen again inSeptember and earlier inDecember.[5]
The airstrikes, which took place on 26 December, were carried out by 25 Israeli Air Force warplanes during a speech by Houthi leaderAbdul-Malik al-Houthi. According to the Saudi state-ownedAl Arabiya news channel, the airstrikes targeted theSanaa International Airport,Hudaydah port, and a power station nearSanaa. The operation was aimed at maximizing damage while also maintaining an element of surprise. Key targets included the airport's control tower, which was disabled, and civilian aircraft allegedly used by the Houthi government. Reports indicated casualties and damage to infrastructure, with claims by the Houthi state controlledAl Masirah TV that some targets were civilian.[1]
Israeli officials, who informed the United States of the attacks in advance, stated the strikes were a response to Houthi actions, warning that further actions would follow if they deemed it necessary. A second wave of attacks occurred shortly after the initial strikes.[5] This attack included seven strikes on Sanaa International Airport which took out the airport's control tower and damaged the runway, as well as three strikes each on the port of Hodeidah, Ras Iffa Port and the Haziz and Ras Qantib power stations.[6][7]
Houthi Movement owned media outletAl-Masirah reported that at least three people were killed, and fourteen others injured in the attacks,[8] three of them were killed at Sanaa International Airport and another person was killed at Ras Issa Port.[9][10][11] Three others were reported missing in Hodeidah.[4] Several fighter aircraft of theYemeni Air Force-SPC were also amongst the targets;[12] three of these aircraft were reported by Israeli media sources to have been destroyed.[13]Al-Dailami Air Base was also struck by Israeli aircraft.[14] One of the two remainingnaval tugs under the command ofYemeni Navy-SPC was also destroyed.[15]
World Health Organization Director-GeneralTedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and aUnited Nations team were about to board a plane at the Sanaa airport at the time of the strikes. A crew member on the plane was injured.[16][4] The death toll later rose to six, with an additional forty being wounded.[17]
This was the largest strike carried out by Israel in Yemeni territory since the beginning of theGaza war, following three previous operations: the 20 July 2024 attack, the September 2024 strike, and the December 2024 strikes.[18]
Sources in Israel's defense establishment stated that the strike marks the start of a larger campaign against the Houthis.[18] The IDF raised the readiness level of its air defense systems and the Air Force, in anticipation of a possible Houthi response.[19] Soon after the second wave of airstrikes on Yemen, the Houthi Movement launched a ballistic missile at Tel Aviv, causing sirens to sound across central Israel, the fate of the missile was unclear as the IDF refused to provide further details.[20]
| Background | |
|---|---|
| 2024 Iran–Israel conflict |
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| Iran–Israel war | |
| Hezbollah–Israel conflict |
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| Israeli–Palestinian conflict | |
| Gaza–Israel conflict |
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| Syrian civil war |
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| Red Sea crisis | |
| International incidents |
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| Nuclear program of Iran | |
| Related |
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