U.S.-Accused Attacks on Sanaa and Surroundings: Yemeni Houthis Report a Dozen Incidents
Firing Up the Fight
In the tumultuous region of Yemen, the Houthi rebels sounded the alarm on May 5, shouting that a barrage of air strikes, allegedly throttled by the United States, lashed out at the capital city of Sanaa and its periphery. The U.S. is spearheading a virtually daily air campaign against these Iran-backed rebels, according to the insurgents' news agency Saba. Saba reported, "two strikes from the American enemy hit Arbaeen street"* in Sanaa and "one strike struck the airport road". Previously, Saba had already reported about two prior attacks, attributed to "American aggression" and seven other strikes around the capital.
Following the blasts, the news agency disclosed that *"fourteen citizens were injured by the U.S. attack on Arbaeen Street in the Saawan district of the capital". On the morning of the same day, an AFP correspondent heard several explosions reverberating through the capital, dominion of the Houthis since 2014.
Earlier in late April, U.S. strikes on Sanaa had already claimed the lives of at least eight and wounded others, as stated by the rebels. Aerial attacks had also targeted regions encompassing Marib (central), Saadah (the rebels' stronghold), and Jaouf in northern Yemen, reported the same source.
Rockets Rain Down on Ben-Gurion Airport
A component of the “resistance axis” between Iran, Israel, and the United States, the Houthis avow to champion the Palestinians of Gaza. Since January 2024, U.S. military forces have been wreaking havoc on Houthi strongholds to curb their missile and drone attacks upon Israel and vessels sailing through the Red Sea. Trump's administration escalated American aerial assaults in an effort to stem attacks on Israel and Red Sea navigable pathways. These aggressions have impeded the passage of ships through the Suez Canal, a critical artery responsible for facilitating 12% of global seaborne commerce.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a stern warning to the Houthi rebels of Yemen and Iran, in response to a missile strike that for the first time impacted the area bordering Ben-Gurion Airport, located near Tel Aviv. Israeli Transportation Minister Ophir Pines-Paz acknowledged a brief airport shutdown, and airport officials reassured the public that the incident did not pose a security risk[1].
Iran flatly denied providing assistance to the rebels claiming responsibility for the missile attack.
[1] BBC, Netanyahu vows retaliation after Yemeni missile hits Israeli airport
- The Houthi rebels, a part of the "resistance axis" involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, have been targeted by daily air campaigns led by the U.S. in Yemen, according to the insurgents' news agency Saba.
- In an attempt to curb Houthi missile and drone attacks, U.S. military forces have been bombing Houthi strongholds since January 2024.
- The Houthis have been supportive of the Palestinians in Gaza and, in response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stern warning to the rebels after a missile, for the first time, struck the area bordering Ben-Gurion Airport.
- Citing the incident at Ben-Gurion Airport, numerous war-and-conflicts related news outlets reported on the growing tensions and potential consequences of this general-news event.
- Amid the increasing war-and-conflicts between various regional powers, criminal acts such as missile attacks on airports have become part of the crime-and-justice discourse in politics.
