On Thursday, the Israeli military carried out bombing raids on multiple locations throughout Sana, the capital of Yemen. This action came just one day after a drone attack by Yemen’s Houthi militia injured 20 people in Israel.
Initial reports from Yemen’s Houthi-led government’s health ministry on Thursday evening indicated that the strikes in Sana resulted in at least eight fatalities and 142 injuries. Rescue operations were actively underway, working to extract those trapped beneath debris.
In an official statement, the Israeli military confirmed that its air force had executed a “broad wave of airstrikes,” specifically targeting “Houthi military objectives” with numerous jets.
Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, stated, “We have just launched a powerful assault against numerous terrorist targets,” clarifying that these included “several military camps.” He added, “As I vowed yesterday—those who inflict harm upon us will face sevenfold retribution.”
The immediate nature of the targeted sites and the exact casualty figures could not be independently confirmed. However, Hamid al-Wusabi, a witness approximately 100 feet from the impact, reported that one of the strikes hit a three-story residential building in Sana’s densely populated al-Raqas district.
Mr. al-Wusabi recounted, “When I emerged, the area was engulfed in the debris of the building, and ambulances were quickly arriving.” He also noted that many individuals remained trapped beneath the wreckage.
According to the Houthi-controlled state news agency, Saba, the Israeli attacks also struck a detention facility housing “a number of prisoners,” as reported by an anonymous source within the government’s intelligence sector.
When questioned about targeting the prison, the Israeli military released a statement asserting that their strikes hit “targets belonging to the security and intelligence apparatus, which, among other functions, is involved in suppressing regime opponents through the use of political prisons.”
Coinciding with a televised address by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the heavily populated city was shaken by numerous powerful explosions.
For months, Israel and the Iran-backed Houthi militia, which governs a significant portion of northern Yemen, have engaged in reciprocal attacks. However, hostilities have intensified recently. Following successful campaigns against other Iranian-backed factions in the area, Israel’s military has now focused on the Houthis, executing a series of impactful strikes on Yemeni ports and other critical infrastructure.
In August, an Israeli assault in Sana tragically killed senior figures within the Houthi-led government, including Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi. Yet, the group’s top military brass seemed mostly unaffected. Human rights organizations report that Israeli strikes in Yemen have also caused dozens of civilian deaths and injuries in recent months.
The United States has similarly conducted bombing operations in Yemen, in direct response to Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The Houthis assert that their targets are ships connected to Israel, even though some vessels they’ve hit show no obvious ties to the nation.
While Israeli defenses usually intercept Houthi attacks on Israel, a Houthi drone successfully struck Eilat on Wednesday, resulting in 20 injuries, two of them severe, as reported by Israeli paramedics. The Israeli military confirmed their attempt to intercept the drone, which managed to bypass their air defense systems.
The Houthis initiated attacks on Israel and maritime traffic in 2023, following the outbreak of the Gaza war. Houthi leadership states these actions are a show of solidarity with Palestinians enduring Israeli bombardments in Gaza, though experts from Yemen suggest their underlying reasons are multifaceted.
Hamas, the Palestinian militant organization responsible for the October 7, 2023, assault on southern Israel that sparked the Gaza conflict, also receives support from Iran.