Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen’s capital targeting Iran-backed Houthis

Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen’s capital just days after Houthi rebels fired a missile toward Israel that its military described as the first cluster bomb the rebels had fired at the country since 2023.

The Iranian-backed Houthis said the strikes hit multiple areas across Sanaa on Sunday.

The Houthi-run health ministry said at least four people were killed and 67 others were wounded.

The rebels’ Al-Masirah satellite television reported a strike on an oil company, and video on social media showed a fireball erupting there.

Israel’s military said it struck the Asar and Hizaz power plants, calling them “a significant electricity supply facility for military activities” along with a military site where the presidential palace is located.

Sanaa residents told The Associated Press they heard loud explosions close to a closed military academy and the presidential palace.

They said they could see plumes of smoke near Sabeen Square, a central gathering place in the capital.

“The sounds of explosions were very strong,” said Hussein Mohamed, who lives close to the presidential palace.

Ahmed al-Mekhlafy said he felt the sheer force of the strikes.

“The house was rocked, and the windows were shattered,” he told the AP by phone.

The Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea for over 22 months, saying they are attacking in solidarity with Palestinians amid the war in Gaza.

Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthi media office, claimed the latest airstrikes will not deter the rebels, and vowed to continue attacks on Israel.

“Our military operations supporting Gaza won’t stop, God willing, unless the aggression is stopped, and the siege is lifted,” he wrote on social media.

The Israeli strikes were the first to hit Yemen since a week ago, when Israel said it targeted energy infrastructure it believed was used by the rebels.

The latest strikes follow the Houthis’ claim of launching a newly equipped missile toward Israel on Friday, including targeting the country’s largest airport, Ben Gurion.

There was no reported damage or injuries.

Israel’s military said it fragmented mid-air after several interception attempts.

An Israeli Air Force official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, called the projectile fired on Friday a new threat.

It was a cluster munition, he said, meant to detonate into multiple explosives on impact.

The use of cluster bombs makes Israeli interception more difficult and represents additional technology provided to the Houthis by Iran, the official asserted.

The official said over 10 Israeli fighter jets carried out Sunday’s strikes.

Defence minister Israel Katz in a statement said Israel continues to “impose an air and naval blockade” without details.