The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen early Saturday, a day after the Huthi-held capital Sanaa was hit by fresh air strikes.
Sirens sounded in areas of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea on Saturday as 鈥榓 missile launched from Yemen was intercepted... prior to crossing into Israeli territory鈥�, the Israeli military said.
The day before, a fresh air strike hit Sanaa, which Huthi rebels blamed on 鈥楿S-British aggression鈥� though it remains unclear who was behind it.
There was no comment from Israel, the United States or Britain.
鈥業 heard the blast. My house shook,鈥� one Sanaa resident told AFP late Friday.
The Iran-backed Huthis control large parts of Yemen after seizing Sanaa and ousting the government in 2014.
Since the eruption of war in Gaza in October last year, the Huthis鈥攃laiming solidarity with Palestinians鈥攈ave fired a series of missiles and drones at Israel.
They have stepped up their attacks since November鈥檚 ceasefire between Israel and another Iran-backed group, Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel has also struck Yemen, including targeting Sanaa鈥檚 international airport on Thursday in an attack that came as the head of the World Health Organization was about to board a plane.
The Huthis have also attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea, prompting reprisal strikes by the United States and sometimes Britain.
Earlier Friday, before the strike on Sanaa, tens of thousands of people gathered to protest and express solidarity with Palestinians.
鈥楾he equation has changed and has become: (targeting) airport for airport, port for port, and infrastructure for infrastructure,鈥� Huthi supporter Mohammed al-Gobisi said. 鈥榃e will not get tired or bored of supporting our brothers in Gaza.鈥�
Israel鈥檚 strike on the Sanaa international airport on Thursday shattered windows and left the top of the control tower a bombed-out shell.
A witness told AFP that the raids also targeted the adjacent Al-Dailami air base, which shares the airport鈥檚 runway.
鈥楾he attack resulted in four dead until now and around 20 wounded from staff, airport and passengers,鈥� Huthi Deputy Transport Minister Yahya al-Sayani said.
It occurred as the head of the UN鈥檚 World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was preparing to fly out, and left one UN crew member injured.
Tedros was in Yemen to seek the release of UN staff detained for months by the Huthis, and to assess the humanitarian situation. He later posted on social media that he had safely reached Jordan with his team.
He said the injured member of the UN鈥檚 humanitarian air service 鈥榰nderwent successful surgery and is now in stable condition鈥�.
Israel鈥檚 military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether they knew at the time that the WHO chief was there.
An Israeli statement said its targets included 鈥榤ilitary infrastructure鈥� at the airport and power stations in Sanaa and Hodeida鈥攁 major entry point for humanitarian aid鈥攁s well as other facilities at several ports.
Huthis use these sites 鈥渢o smuggle Iranian weapons into the region and for the entry of senior Iranian officials鈥�, the statement said.
But UN humanitarian coordinator Julien Harneis said the airport was 鈥榓 civilian location鈥� which the UN also uses, and the strikes took place as 鈥榓 packed civilian airliner from Yemenia Air, carrying hundreds of Yemenis, was about to land鈥�.
Although the plane 鈥榳as able to land safely... it could have been far, far worse鈥�, Harneis said.
In his latest warning to the Huthis, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel鈥檚 strikes would 鈥榗ontinue until the job is done鈥�.
鈥榃e are determined to cut this branch of terrorism from the Iranian axis of evil,鈥� he said in a video statement.
Despite the damage, flights at Sanaa airport resumed at 10:00am Friday, deputy transport minister Sayani said.
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres denounced the escalation in hostilities, and said bombing transportation infrastructure threatened humanitarian operations in Yemen, where 80 per cent of the population depends on aid.
The United Nations has called Yemen 鈥榯he largest humanitarian crisis in the world鈥�, with 24.1 million people in need of humanitarian aid and protection.
The airport is 鈥榓bsolutely vital鈥� to continue transporting aid for Yemen, UN humanitarian coordinator Harneis said. 鈥業f that airport is disabled, it will paralyze humanitarian operations.鈥�
After the attack on Sanaa airport, Huthis said they fired a missile at Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv and launched drones at the city and a ship in the Arabian Sea.
The Israeli military said the same day a missile launched from Yemen had been intercepted.
鈥業sraeli aggression will only increase the determination and resolve of the great Yemeni people to continue supporting the Palestinian people鈥�, a Huthi statement said Friday.
