SANAA: Israeli air strikes blew up the last remaining plane at Yemen's international airport, a Yemeni official said on Wednesday, weeks after an earlier attack inflicted major damage. An air raid involving multiple strikes hit the Yemenia Airways plane and the runway at Sanaa airport, the Al Masirah TV channel posted on X, decrying "Israeli aggression".
Thick black smoke was seen billowing from a stricken plane on the tarmac, in a video posted on X by Sanaa airport director Khaled al Shaief who said it was Yemenia's last operational aircraft. The airport had only resumed limited commercial services on May 17 after it was closed by a heavy Israeli attack that destroyed six planes 11 days earlier. According to a statement from Yemenia, the plane was about to be boarded by Muslim pilgrims bound for the annual Haj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this month, the United States agreed a ceasefire with the Yemeni group Ansar Allah, ending weeks of intense American strikes on several areas. United Nations special envoy Hans Grundberg warned that clashes are "exacerbating an already very fragile situation for Yemen and the region". — AFP
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