Israel strikes Houthi targets in Yemen, killing six

Israel struck multiple targets linked to the Houthi movement in Yemen on Thursday, including Sanaa International Airport. Houthi media said at least six people were killed.

The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said he was about to board a plane at the airport when it came under attack. A crew member on the plane was injured, he said.

The Israeli military said that in addition to striking the airport, it also hit military infrastructure at the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Kanatib on Yemen's west coast. It also attacked the country's Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib power stations.

Yemen's Saba news agency reported that three people were killed in the strikes on the airport and three were killed in Hodeidah, while 40 others were wounded in the attacks.

Later on Thursday, the Houthis said they were ready to respond quickly to the attack and meet "escalation with escalation," Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported.

Houthis have repeatedly fired drones and missiles towards Israel as a gesture to show their support and solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Shortly after Israel launched the airstrikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz pledged to kill Houthi leaders and dismantle the group's military power in a joint video statement on Thursday.

Katz pledged to "hunt down all the Houthi leaders and strike them, just as we have done elsewhere."

"No one will escape Israel's long arm. We will strike them to eliminate threats against Israel," he added.

Tedros said he had been in Yemen to negotiate the release of detained UN staff and to assess the humanitarian situation.

"As we were about to board our flight from Sanaa ... the airport came under aerial bombardment. One of our plane's crew members was injured," he said in a statement.

"The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge—just a few meters from where we were—and the runway were damaged," he said, adding that he and his colleagues were safe.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the Israeli air strikes on Thursday as "especially alarming" after "a year of escalatory actions by the Houthis," said a UN spokesperson.

Guterres is concerned about the risk of further escalation, and is calling for all parties concerned to cease military actions and exercise utmost restraint, the spokesperson said, adding: "He also warns that airstrikes on Red Sea ports and Sanaa airport pose grave risks to humanitarian operations at a time when millions of people are in need of life-saving assistance."

The Houthi transport minister told the Saba news agency that both the airport and Hodeidah port would resume normal operations from Friday.

(With input from Reuters)