The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had struck and fully disabled Yemen's Sanaa International Airport and power plants in the second round of airstrikes since Monday after the Iran-backed Houthi group attacked Israel's main airport.
News agency photographs appeared to show a mushroom cloud arising from the outskirts of the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital Sanaa.
"A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck and dismantled Houthi terrorist infrastructure at the main airport in Sanaa, fully disabling the airport," the Israeli military said in a statement.
"The strike was carried out in response to the attack launched by the Houthi terrorist regime against Ben Gurion Airport. Flight runways, aircraft, and infrastructure at the airport were struck."
The strikes follow Israeli airstrikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah on Monday after the Houthi ballistic missile landed near Ben Gurion Airport on Saturday, causing several airlines to halt flights.
Monday's strikes killed four people and injured 39, according to the Houthi-run health ministry.
The Israeli military said that the airport and port both served as a hub for the transfer of weapons and operatives. "It has been routinely used by the Houthi regime for terrorist purposes," said the statement.
Several central power plants were struck in the Sanaa area as well as the Al Imran Concrete Plant, located north of Sanaa, which the Israeli military said is used for the construction of underground tunnels.
"This strike further degrades the Houthi regime’s economic and military buildup capabilities," the statement added.
Yemen's Houthi-run foreign ministry condemned the attacks, saying, "This aggression will not go unpunished."
"(The attack) reflects ... the failure of the Zionist entity to achieve its goals in Yemen and its attempt to search for a false victory," it added in a statement.
Designated a terrorist organization by countries including the United States, the Houthis have been launching scores of missiles and drones towards Israel and targeting shipping in the Red Sea since the start of the Gaza war, in what it says is solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel's expanding incursion into Gaza.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military again blamed the Houthi attack on Tehran.
"Over the past year and a half, the Houthi terrorist regime has been operating under Iranian direction and funding, with the goal of targeting the State of Israel and its allies, undermining regional stability, and disrupting global freedom of navigation," the Israeli military statement said.
Iran has denied involvement in Houthi attacks on Israel and international shipping, and foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Monday that Tehran does not operate through regional proxies.
“The decisions made by the people of Yemen reflect their own will, and all such accusations against Iran are baseless.”
The Israeli military had earlier warned civilians to evacuate the vicinity of the airport.
"Not evacuating puts you in danger," the warning read, publishing a map outlining the area targeted.
