Warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition struck Sanaa International Airport on Saturday, shortly after authorities in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital said it would reopen to receive humanitarian aid.
The runway was hit by two missiles, witnesses said, a day after the civil aviation authority in Sanaa announced it would temporarily reopen the airport, which has been targeted frequently by airstrikes, AFP reported.
Saudi Arabia on Friday announced a humanitarian ceasefire in Yemen starting May 12, but has vowed to step up retaliatory strikes on Houthi forces, which it accuses of launching cross-border attacks on the kingdom.
Earlier Saturday, warplanes hit a nearby airbase, following a night of intensive bombardment of Houthi positions in their northern stronghold of Saada.
Saudi-led coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri said all civilians in Saada Province had been asked to clear out by 7 p.m. local time on Friday, when the entire desert region would be designated a military zone.
There was also heavy shelling in the west of Saada, near the Saudi-Yemen border, and 13 villagers were killed in strikes on Hajja Province, also near the frontier, locals said. In the southeastern province of Shabwa, coalition forces carried out at least five air raids in the vicinity of Ataq airport and in Ataq city itself, local security sources said.
