Israel says it hit Houthis' last plane as PM blames Iran

Israel launched airstrikes on key infrastructure of the Houthi militia in Yemen including what it said was the group’s “last remaining plane” and Sana’a Airport, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran.

"I have said more than once: The Houthis are only the symptom. The main driving force behind them is Iran, which is responsible for the aggression emanating from Yemen," he said on Wednesday.

The Council of Foreign Relations says that Iran is the group’s “primary benefactor” and the Trump administration in the US has also put the blame firmly in Tehran.

Earlier this month, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran had continued to support Yemen's armed Houthi movement despite an explicit warning from Washington.

Pete Hegseth wrote on X: "Message to IRAN: We see your LETHAL support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing. You know very well what the US Military is capable of — and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing."

Iran denies it controls the group, designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the US and other countries, which has become a key threat to Israel since the Gaza war.

The Israeli military said in a statement on Wednesday: “A short while ago, the IDF struck at the main airport in Sana'a and aircraft belonging to the Houthi terrorist organization. The aircraft struck were used by the Houthi terrorist organization for the transfer of terrorists who advanced terrorist attacks against the state of Israel.”

The Houthis, which now control two thirds of Yemen, have been launching attacks on Israel, including a maritime blockade in the Red Sea region, since November 2023, in the wake of the Gaza war. It says the operation is in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel’s retaliatory attacks after the deadly Hamas attacks of October 7 have seen tens of thousands of Palestinians killed and swathes of Gaza destroyed as around two thirds of the strip are now displaced.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Wednesday strikes “destroyed the last remaining plane used by the Houthis as part of Operation Golden Jewel."

“The ports in Yemen will continue to be severely damaged, and the airport in Sana'a will be destroyed again and again, as will other strategic infrastructure in the region used by the Houthi terrorist organization and its supporters,” a statement said.

Earlier this month, Israeli air defense systems failed to intercept a ballistic missile which made impact near the country’s main airport, Tel Aviv Ben-Gurion Airport.