A burning airplane at Sanaa international airport after Israeli warplanes struck the facility. Saba
A burning airplane at Sanaa international airport after Israeli warplanes struck the facility. Saba
A burning airplane at Sanaa international airport after Israeli warplanes struck the facility. Saba
A burning airplane at Sanaa international airport after Israeli warplanes struck the facility. Saba

Sanaa airport 'disabled' after Israeli strikes on Yemen


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All flights to and from Sanaa airport in Yemen have been suspended due to damage inflicted by Israeli air strikes.

The airport's general director Khaled Al Shaief said in a post on X early on Wednesday that the Israeli strikes the previous day had caused “extensive damage”.

The strikes involved 50 bombs, “dozens” of aircraft and mid-air refuelling, the Israeli military said. "Fighter jets struck and dismantled Houthi terrorist infrastructure at the main airport in Sanaa, fully disabling the airport," it added.

The operation came just hours before US President Donald Trump and mediator Oman announced a truce between Yemen's Houthi rebels and Washington, which has been carrying out its own intensive bombing campaign in Yemen in recent weeks.

The US had been targeting Houthi assets in an attempt to stop the Iran-backed group attacking international shipping in the Red Sea, which the Houthis say they have been doing in solidarity with Palestinians over the war in Gaza.

Israel's strikes on Tuesday came in response to a missile fired by the Houthis on Sunday that landed near Israel's main international airport, Ben Gurion, outside Tel Aviv. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had vowed to fight back.

Ceasefire deal

Oman, meanwhile, said the ceasefire agreement between the US and the Houthis would ensure “freedom of navigation” in the Red Sea.

Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi said: “Following recent discussions and contacts … with the aim of de-escalation, efforts have resulted in a ceasefire agreement between the two sides.

“Neither side will target the other … ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping.”

Mr Trump said the Houthis had “capitulated”, adding: “The Houthis have announced ... that they don't want to fight any more. They just don't want to fight. And we will honour that, and we will stop the bombings.

“They say they will not be blowing up ships any more, and that's ... the purpose of what we were doing.”

The Houthis did not directly comment on the truce but Mahdi Al Mashat, head of their supreme political council, said in a statement carried by the rebel-controlled Saba news agency early on Wednesday that “continued escalation” would affect a visit by Mr Trump to the Middle East scheduled for next week.

Destruction at the port in Yemen's Hodeidah after the Israeli air strikes. Saba
Destruction at the port in Yemen's Hodeidah after the Israeli air strikes. Saba

“We indirectly informed the Americans that the continued escalation will affect the criminal Trump’s visit to the region, and we have not informed them of anything else,” he said. Mr Trump is due to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.

Mr Al Mashat, however, promised a “painful” response to the Israeli strikes. He said Houthi attacks on Israel “will continue” and go “beyond what the Israeli enemy can withstand”.

Video of the Israeli strikes on Sanaa airport aired by the Houthis' Al Masirah satellite news channel showed the terminal's windows blown out, with concrete blocks exposed and a fire burning inside. On the runway, aircraft associated with the state carrier Yemenia burned.

Other Israeli strikes elsewhere in Yemen hit a cement plant and power plants, the Houthis and Israelis both said.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the strikes should be seen as a warning to the “head of the Iranian octopus”, which he said bears direct responsibility for attacks by the Houthis against Israel.

Hans Grundberg, the UN's special envoy for Yemen, called the attacks in Yemen and Israel “a grave escalation in an already fragile and volatile regional context”.

Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

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Indoor cricket in a nutshell

Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Updated: May 07, 2025, 11:24 AM