Israel struck Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on Sunday, killing at least two people and injuring 35, according to initial reports from Houthi media. This attack comes after the Houthis fired a ballistic missile toward Israel on Friday that was intercepted.
An Israeli Air Force official told Reuters the missile from Friday’s attack likely carried several sub-munitions that were “intended to be detonated upon impact.”
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that multiple military targets in Sanaa were hit on Sunday, including the site of the presidential palace, the Adar and Hizaz power plants and a site to store fuel.
An official in the Houthi Defense Ministry denied Israel’s claims that it attacked military targets, and said Israel bombed civilian infrastructure. He told Al Jazeera that the presidential palace has “long been deserted.” Meanwhile, the IDF maintained that the Houthis “exploit” civilian infrastructure.
Sanaa residents described explosions close to the palace and a military academy, as well as plumes of smoke near Sabeen Square, to the Associated Press.
Ahmed al-Mekhlafy, speaking to the AP on the phone, said “The house was rocked, and the windows were shattered.”
Sunday’s strikes, the IDF said, were in response to “repeated Houthi attacks on Israel with missiles and UAVs.”
The Houthis say they are carrying out these operations in support of the Palestinians in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas War. Since the war started in October 2023, Houthi militants have been targeting vessels in the Red Sea, along with firing missiles at Israel. Israel has returned fire in exchange.
In July, Houthi militants warned they will attack merchant vessels belonging to any company associated with Israel, regardless of nationality, calling it part of the next phase of a military campaign against Israel. Around $1 trillion in goods reportedly pass through the Red Sea each year.
A senior Houthi official, Abdul Qader al-Murtada, said the rebels plan to continue military actions in solidarity with Palestinians, according to Reuters.
“(Israel) must know that we will not abandon our brothers in Gaza, whatever the sacrifices,” he said.
