Human Rights Watch (HRW) calls for Israel, Houthis’ airstrikes targeting civilian infrastructure and airports to be investigated as war crimes. Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s Sanaa International Airport on May 6 and May 28, 2025, destroyed all commercial planes and damaged vital airport facilities, according to a news release by the organization. HRW said the attacks were “apparently unlawful” and called for them to be investigated as possible war crimes. The organization also urged an inquiry into the Houthis’ missile and drone attacks on Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport and other civilian locations.
The Sanaa airport was Yemen’s main route for civilians seeking medical care and for the delivery of humanitarian aid. HRW’s review of satellite images and videos showed that Yemenia Airways planes and terminal buildings were destroyed. A strike on May 6 came after a warning, while the May 28 attack happened when civilians, including Médecins Sans Frontières staff and religious pilgrims, were present but unhurt.
Israel said its airstrikes were aimed at Houthi military targets in response to attacks on Israel, including attempts to hit Ben Gurion Airport. However, HRW reported no evidence that the planes or terminals targeted in Sanaa had a military use. The attacks have left the airport unusable, cutting off a lifeline for Yemenis who need humanitarian assistance or urgent medical treatment.
A previous strike in December 2024 killed at least four people, one a United Nations crew member. Both HRW and the UN have highlighted the airport’s importance for people needing to leave Yemen for medical care, given the country’s struggling health system.
HRW pointed out that laws of war protect civilian sites and infrastructure needed for survival. The group warned that states supplying weapons to Israel could be complicit in these unlawful attacks.
