Israel pounds Yemen's capital; kills 6, injures 80
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Cairo: Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen's capital on Sunday, days after Houthi rebels fired a missile toward Israel that its military described as the first cluster bomb the rebels had launched at it since 2023. The attack killed at least six people while more than 80 people were wounded, Al Jazeera reported.
The Houthis said multiple areas across Sanaa were hit. The rebels' Al-Masirah satellite television reported a strike on an oil company, and video on social media showed a fireball erupting there, the Associated Press reported.
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 explosions close to a closed military academy and the presidential palace. They saw 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.
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, vowed to continue attacks on Israel, writing on social media that “our military operations supporting Gaza won't stop, God willing, unless the aggression is stopped, and the siege is lifted." 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 Israeli air force official said that over 10 Israeli fighter jets carried out Sunday's strikes.