Israel launched strikes on Yemen's main airport on Wednesday, leaving a runway and aircraft in flames a day after Houthi militants fired several missiles towards Israel.
Smoke could be seen billowing over Sanaa’s skyline as a plane, said to belong to flag carrier Yemenia Airways, was seen burning, with debris scattered across the runway.
The airport had only resumed operations about two weeks ago after a several-day suspension following an earlier Israeli raid.
Bombs that struck Sanaa's main airport and an aircraft on the runway sent "a clear message ... whoever fires at the State of Israel will pay a heavy price”, Israel's defence ministry said.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said the raid “destroyed the last remaining plane used by the Houthis” and that “the airport in Sanaa will be destroyed again and again, as will other strategic infrastructure in the region used by the Houthi terrorist organisation and its supporters”.
The Houthi-run news agency Saba reported that four Israeli strikes targeted the airport runway and a Yemenia Airlines plane.
The airport's general director Khaled Al Shaief said in a post on X that the strike had completely destroyed the last of the civilian planes that Yemenia Airways was operating from the airport.
Hans Grundberg, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, said that "attacks on civilian infrastructure, including Sanaa airport in Yemen and Ben Gurion Airport in Israel are unacceptable."
"Today’s strike on Sanaa airport and the destruction of a Yemeni civilian aircraft deprives many Yemenis of a critical means to leave the country for medical, educational, family or religious purposes, especially at a time when thousands are preparing for Hajj," Mr Grundberg said in a statement.
He warned that the ongoing military confrontation between the Houthis and Israel "is exacerbating an already very fragile situation for Yemen and the region."
Israel has been launching major strikes in Yemen for months, which have targeted ports, industrial sites and airports. There was also a US air campaign against the group, which has now concluded.
Despite the military pressure, the Houthis have continued to fire on Israel throughout the Gaza War in solidarity with Palestinians.
The strikes, which regularly send millions of Israelis into shelters, have caused continuing disruption to flights into Israel. The Houthis have also attacked international shipping in nearby waters.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the strike that Israel operates “according to a simple principle: whoever harms us, we will harm him”.
“Whoever does not understand this with force, will understand this with more force. But as I have said many times, the Houthis are just the symptom. The main force behind them is Iran,” it added.
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If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
Naga
The specs: 2019 Audi A8
Price From Dh390,000
Engine 3.0L V6 turbo
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 345hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy, combined 7.5L / 100km
The national orchestra
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Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
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Manchester United v Club America
When: Thursday, 9pm Arizona time (Friday UAE, 8am)
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Towering concerns
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
Transgender report
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ARGYLLE
Liverpool 4-1 Shrewsbury
Liverpool
Gordon (34'), Fabinho (44' pen, 90' 3), Firmino (78')
Shrewsbury
Udoh (27'minutes)
Man of the Match: Kaide Gordon (Liverpool)
Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
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Fixtures
Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11
August 9
Liverpool v Norwich 11pm
August 10
West Ham v Man City 3.30pm
Bournemouth v Sheffield Utd 6pm
Burnley v Southampton 6pm
C Palace v Everton 6pm
Leicester v Wolves 6pm
Watford v Brighton 6pm
Tottenham v Aston Villa 8.30pm
August 11
Newcastle v Arsenal 5pm
Man United v Chelsea 7.30pm
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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The biog
Age: 19
Profession: medical student at UAE university
Favourite book: The Ocean at The End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman
Role model: Parents, followed by Fazza (Shiekh Hamdan bin Mohammed)
Favourite poet: Edger Allen Poe
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
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