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Operation Tselilei HaKerem

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2024 Sana'a International Airport strikes
Part of the Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)
Location
Al Hudaydah Governorate and Sanaa, Yemen
TargetSanaa International Airport, Al-Dailami Air Base, Hudaydah Port, Ras Iffa Port, Haziz and Ras Qantib power stations
Date26 December 2024
Executed by Israel Defense Forces
Outcome
  • Sana'a Airport taken out of service
  • Al Hudaydah Port once again shut down
  • Haziz Power Station damaged[1]
  • 3 aircraft destroyed
  • One Naval tug destroyed
Casualties6 killed, 40 wounded[2]

Operation Tzelilei HaKerem (English: Operation Sounds of the Vineyard) was the Israeli Air Force strike on the Sana'a International Airport in the capital of Yemen on 26 December 2024,[3] carried out in response to the firing of ballistic missiles and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) toward Israel by the Houthis.[4] It took place as part of the Houthi involvement in the Israel–Hamas war and the Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present).[5]

Background

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Since the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war, the Houthis in Yemen and Israel have been engaged in a spillover conflict. On 20 July 2024, Israel conducted attacks on Hudaydah Port in Al Hudaydah, Yemen, claiming to target Houthi infrastructure. They carried out an aerial bombing of what they claimed were ammunition depots, oil storage facilities, power stations, and other military targets. Israel struck Yemen again in September 2024 and in December 2024.[5]

Following rocket and UAV fire toward Israel by the Houthis, Israel again struck in Yemen on 26 December—this time targeting the international airport in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a.

The strike

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The strike, which took place on 26 December 2024, was carried out by 25 Israeli Air Force warplanes during a speech by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. According to the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news channel, it targeted Sanaa International Airport, Hudaydah port, and a power station near Sanaa. The operation dubbed as the Operation Sound of Vineyard,[6] involving 25 aircraft, was aimed at maximizing damage while maintaining an element of surprise. Key targets included the airport's control tower, which was disabled, and civilian aircraft used by the Houthi government. Reports indicate casualties and damage to infrastructure, with claims that some targets were civilian. Israeli officials, who informed the United States in advance, stated the strikes were a response to Houthi aggression, warning that further actions would follow if deemed necessary. A second wave of attacks occurred shortly after the initial strikes.[7] The 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 on the port of Hodeidah and the Haziz and Ras Qantib power stations.[6][8][9]

Houthi owned media outlet Al Masirah reported that at least four people were killed, and 16 others were injured in the attacks,[10] three of them were killed at Sanaa International Airport and another person was killed at Ras Issa port.[11][12][13] Three others were reported missing in Hodeidah.[14] Several aircraft of the Yemeni Air Force-SPC captured during the Yemeni civil war were also amongst the targets,[15] of which three aircraft were reportedly destroyed.[16] Al-Dailami Air Base was also reportedly struck.[17] One of the only two remaining Naval tugs under the command of Yemeni Navy-SPC was also destroyed.[18] World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and a United 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.[19][14] The death toll later rose to six, with an additional 40 being wounded.[20]

This was the largest strike carried out by Israel in Yemeni territory since the beginning of the Israel–Hamas war, following three previous operations: the 20 July 2024 attack, the September 2024 strike, and the December 2024 strikes.[21]

After the strike

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After the second Israeli wave of airstrikes on Yemen, the Yemeni Houthis launched another ballistic missile at Tel Aviv, causing sirens to sound across central Israel.[22]

Following the operation, sources in Israel's defense establishment stated that the strike marks the start of a larger campaign against the Houthis.[21] The IDF raised the readiness level of its air defense systems and the Air Force, in anticipation of a possible Houthi response.[23]

References

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  1. ^ "Israel strikes Yemen's Sanaa airport, Hodeidah power plant".
  2. ^ Israel strikes Houthi targets in Yemen, killing six
  3. ^ "Israel Bombs Houthi Targets in Yemen After Missile Launches by Militants". 2024-12-26. Archived from the original on 2024-12-26. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
  4. ^ Salem, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Mostafa (2024-12-26). "WHO chief says he was at Yemen airport which Israeli strikes targeted". CNN. Retrieved 2024-12-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ a b ynet, כתבי (2024-12-26). "ישראל תקפה בתימן עם 25 מטוסי קרב: "הרוגים בנמל התעופה בצנעא"". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-12-26.
  6. ^ a b נמל תעופה ומתקני נפט: חיל האוויר ביצע תקיפה נרחבת בתימן
  7. ^ ynet, כתבי (2024-12-26). "ישראל תוקפת עם עשרות מטוסי קרב: "הרוגים בנמל התעופה בצנעא"". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-12-26.
  8. ^ ישראל תקפה בתימן עם 25 מטוסי קרב: "הרוגים בנמל התעופה בצנעא"
  9. ^ התקיפה הישראלית הגדולה בתימן: אלה המטרות שצה"ל תקף
  10. ^ Head of WHO was in Yemen airport during Israeli air strikes, with crew member injured
  11. ^ "Israeli air strikes hit main Yemen airport". BBC News. 2024-12-26. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
  12. ^ Ari, Lior Ben; Yehoshua, Yossi (2024-12-26). "Israeli officials: '100 aircraft took part in Yemen air raid'". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
  13. ^ "Houthi TV says Israeli strikes kill 3, wound 11 across Yemen". The Times of Israel. 2024-12-26. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
  14. ^ a b "Israeli military strikes in Yemen kill 4 people, Houthi-run media say". CNN. 2024-12-26. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
  15. ^ דיווח: התקיפה כוונה לעבר מטוסי קרב חות'ים שהיו בשדה התעופה
  16. ^ דיווח סעודי: 3 מטוסי קרב חות'ים הושמדו בתקיפות בצנעא
  17. ^ Israeli Army Confirms It Struck Power Plants, Port and Sanaa Airport in Yemen
  18. ^ מגדל הפיקוח, גוררת, תחנות כוח: יעדי התקיפה בתימן, והתיאום ההדוק עם ארה"ב
  19. ^ "WHO chief was in Sanaa Airport during Israeli airstrikes, says he is safe". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
  20. ^ LIVE: Israel bombs Yemen, kills some 50 people near northern Gaza hospital
  21. ^ a b "The patience is over: These are the targets of the Israeli strike in Yemen" (in Hebrew). Now14. 2024-12-26.
  22. ^ "Nighttime sirens again sound in central Israel; IDF says projectile fired from Yemen". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
  23. ^ "During the leader's speech > Yemen in flames: The IDF struck power stations and oil facilities in broad daylight" (in Hebrew). hm-news.co.il. 2024-12-26.
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