Israeli strikes on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on Sunday killed at least six people, according to Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who have repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Israel throughout the Gaza conflict.
AFP images showed a massive fireball lighting up the skies over the rebel-held capital, leaving a column of thick, black smoke.
The Huthi-run Saba news agency reported six deaths and 86 injuries in the Israeli raid, with more than 20 in critical condition, citing the health ministry.
A Huthi security source told AFP that the strikes targeted a building in central Sanaa.
Al-Masirah TV, run by the Huthis, reported that an oil company facility and a power station in southern Sanaa already hit in a previous strike last Sunday were also targeted.
The Israeli army stated it had struck a military compound near the presidential palace, along with two power stations and a fuel depot.
The army said the strikes were “in response to repeated attacks by the Huthi terrorist regime against the State of Israel and its civilians,” including those carried out “in recent days.”
Late Friday, the Huthis fired a missile that Israeli authorities said had “most likely fragmented in mid-air.”
Media outlets, including The Times of Israel and Ynet, citing the Israeli military, reported that the missile carried a cluster warhead, marking the first known use of such a weapon fired from Yemen.
Heart of the capital
The Israeli defence ministry released a photo on Sunday showing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Israel Katz and military chief Eyal Zamir following the strikes in Yemen from a command bunker.
Netanyahu said the air force had struck “the presidential palace in the heart of the capital Sanaa, the city’s power plant and the fuel tanks that supply it”, according to a statement released by his office.
“The terrorist Huthi regime is learning the hard way that it will pay and has paid already a very high price for its aggression against the State of Israel,” he said, adding “the whole region” was also learning a lesson in Israeli power.
In a statement from their political bureau, the Huthis vowed to respond, saying they would “not deviate from the fight” against Israel and its ally the United States “until the aggression stops and the (Israeli) blockade on Gaza is lifted”.
Iran’s foreign ministry on Sunday condemned the Israeli strikes.
Compound interest
Since the October 2023 start of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, the Huthis have repeatedly fired missiles and drones at Israel, claiming to be acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Most of the Huthi attacks have been intercepted, but they have prompted retaliatory Israeli air strikes on rebel targets in Yemen.
On August 17, Israel said it targeted an energy infrastructure site in Sanaa linked to the Huthis, with Al-Masirah reporting at the time the capital’s Haziz power station was hit.
The Israeli military said the Haziz facility was also struck on Sunday.
Katz said earlier this month that the Huthis would “pay with compound interest for every attempt to fire at Israel”.
Beyond attacks on Israel itself, the Huthis have also targeted ships they say are linked to the country in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
