Israel’s military forces carried out a series of bombings across the Yemeni capital, Sana, on Thursday. This action came a day after the Houthi militia in Yemen launched a drone attack against Israel, which resulted in 20 injuries. Initial reports from Yemen’s Houthi-led government indicated that at least two people were killed and 48 wounded in the Sana strikes.
The Israeli military released a statement confirming a “wide wave of airstrikes” conducted by dozens of air force jets against “Houthi military targets.” Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, asserted that a powerful blow had been delivered against numerous terrorist targets, including several military camps, fulfilling a promise that those who cause harm would face severe retaliation.
While The New York Times was unable to immediately verify the specific nature of the attacked sites or the exact casualty count, a witness, Hamid al-Wusabi, reported that one strike hit a three-story residential building in the densely populated al-Raqas neighborhood of Sana. Al-Wusabi, who was nearby when the blast occurred, described seeing rubble everywhere and ambulances rushing to the scene, with many individuals reportedly trapped beneath the debris.
The densely populated city experienced multiple heavy explosions at the same time a speech by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi was being broadcast. Interestingly, Mr. al-Houthi’s speech did not acknowledge the Israeli strikes.
The conflict between Israel and the Houthis, an Iran-backed militia controlling much of northern Yemen, has intensified in recent weeks after months of intermittent attacks. After significantly weakening other Iran-backed groups in the region, Israel’s military has shifted its focus to the Houthis, conducting numerous punitive strikes on Yemeni ports and other critical infrastructure.
In August, an Israeli attack in Sana reportedly resulted in the deaths of high-ranking officials within the Houthi-led government, including Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi, though the group’s military leadership largely remained unaffected. Human rights organizations have documented that Israeli strikes in Yemen have also led to dozens of civilian deaths and injuries in recent months.
Typically, Houthi attacks on Israel are intercepted or blocked by the Israeli military. However, a Houthi drone successfully struck the Israeli city of Eilat on Wednesday, injuring 20 people, two of them seriously, according to Israeli paramedics. The Israeli military confirmed it attempted to intercept the drone but it evaded their air defenses.
The Houthis initiated their attacks on Israel and commercial vessels in the Red Sea in 2023, following the outbreak of the war in Gaza. Houthi officials state their actions are in solidarity with Palestinians facing Israeli bombardment in Gaza, although Yemeni analysts suggest their motivations are multi-faceted. Hamas, the Palestinian armed group responsible for the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that sparked the Gaza war, also receives support from Iran.
Shuaib Almosawa provided reporting from Sana, Yemen, and Natan Odenheimer from Tel Aviv.