Israeli Strikes in Sanaa, Yemen Reportedly Kill Eight
Israeli forces conducted strikes in Sanaa, Yemen on Thursday afternoon, targeting Houthi military sites, resulting in at least eight deaths and 142 injuries, according to reports from the ground. Large plumes of black smoke were observed rising from at least three locations within the city.
The attack occurred shortly before a scheduled speech by Houthi leader abdul Malik al-Houthi,broadcast on Al-Masirah TV,the Houthi-run media outlet. Al-Masirah reported that residential areas in the Maain and Sabaeen districts, and also the Dhahban power station, were struck, sharing photographs of damaged and destroyed buildings.
Dr. Anees al-Asbahi, a spokesperson for Yemen’s health ministry, accused the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of “deliberate and systematic targeting of civilian, service, and residential facilities,” labeling it “a war crime in every sense of the word.” He stated that civilians were among the casualties and that rescue workers were continuing to search for people trapped under rubble.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on X (formerly Twitter) that Israel had “delivered a powerful strike on numerous terror targets of the Houthi terror organisation in Sanaa.”
The IDF released a statement detailing the targeted locations, including the Houthi military’s General Staff Command headquarters, security and intelligence compounds, the Houthis’ “military public relations headquarters,” and military camps used for weapons storage. The IDF added that it “will operate against the ongoing and repeated attacks of the Houthi terrorist regime against the State of Israel” and plans “additional offensive operations” in the near future.
The strikes follow a Houthi drone attack on the Israeli city of Eilat on Wednesday. An IDF inquiry determined the drone was “detected relatively late,” and while warning sirens were activated as per protocol, interception attempts by the Iron Dome air defence system were unsuccessful. The IDF stated the cause of the failure has been identified and corrective measures implemented.
According to the IDF, Israeli forces have intercepted over 98% of drones launched towards Israel by the Houthis as the start of the war in Gaza.
The Houthis’ military spokesman justified the attack as a “response to the crimes of genocide and the dangerous escalation carried out by the Israeli enemy against our people in the Gaza Strip.”
This latest strike follows a series of similar actions on September 10th, when Israeli strikes in sanaa and al-Jawf province killed 35 people, according to the Houthi-run health ministry. That incident resulted in the deaths of 31 journalists and media workers, marking the deadliest single attack on the press globally in 16 years, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Yemen’s September 26 newspaper reported that most of the journalists killed worked in its office or at the headquarters of the government’s Moral Guidance Directorate, both of which were bombed. The IDF at the time stated it had targeted the “Houthi Public Relations Department.”
