By Joseph Lord
Contributing Writer
Israel on Sunday carried out airstrikes against Houthi rebels in the capital city of Sanaa, Yemen.
It comes a few days after the Iran-backed terrorist group fired a missile in the first cluster bomb attack on Israel since 2023, according to authorities.
Israel struck Houthi targets across multiple areas of the city, with the Houthi-run health ministry reporting at least four dead and 67 wounded. It did not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
Houthi-linked TV media reported a strike on an oil company, posting a video of the fireball resulting from the attack on social media.
The Israeli military said that strikes had targeted the Asar and Hizaz power plants, saying these were “significant electricity supply [facilities]” for the Houthis’ military activities. A military site that includes the presidential palace was also targeted.
Locals reported explosions near the site of the presidential palace and a military academy, as well as plumes of smoke rising from Sabeen Square, in a central area of the city.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in televised remarks that the Houthis are “paying a heavy price for [their] aggression,” referencing a missile launched at Israel by the terrorist group on Friday.
The Houthis claimed they launched a missile toward Israel’s civilian Ben Gurion Airport on Friday. No damage or injuries were reported, with the Israeli military saying the missile fragmented in mid-air after several failed attempts to intercept the cluster bomb-style missile.
The latest attack on Israel by the Houthis using cluster bombs was more difficult to intercept than normal bombs, officials said. They also stated that the technology was provided to the Houthis by the Iranian regime.
According to Israeli officials, 10 fighter jets carried out the retaliatory attack.
The Iran-backed Houthis, who are designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government, have made headlines in recent years for their attacks on shipping along crucial Red Sea trade routes, and missile and drone strikes targeting Israel.
The Red Sea is connected to the Mediterranean Sea by the Suez Canal, making it a crucial corridor for ships to transport goods between East Asia and Europe. Nearly $1 trillion in global trade passes through the route each year — trade that’s been upended by the Houthis’ persistent attacks on ships.
Between November 2023 and December 2024, the Houthis targeted over 100 merchant and naval ships with drone and missile strikes.
The group said these attacks are retaliatory against Israel’s ongoing military activity in the Gaza Strip, launched in response to the Iran-backed Hamas terror group’s October 2023 attack on Israel.
In May, the United States reached a deal with the Houthis that would end U.S. airstrikes on Yemen, which had been ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump in exchange for an end to attacks on shipping.
The Houthis have said that they will nonetheless attack targets they believe are aligned with Israel. Last month, the group vowed to target commercial ships owned by any company that does business with Israel, regardless of the ship’s national origin.
Attacks on Israel itself will also continue, a spokesperson for the terrorist organization said.
In a post on social media, Nasruddin Amer, deputy chief of the Houthi media office, said that the “military operations supporting Gaza won’t stop, God willing, unless the aggression is stopped and the siege is lifted.”
Last week, Israel said it targeted energy support infrastructure in Yemen that it believed was used by the Houthis.
Israeli airstrikes were also carried out on the Sanaa airport in May, destroying the terminal and cratering sections of the airport’s runway. The attack hit at least six passenger planes, three of which belonged to Yemenia Airways, according to airport authorities.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
