The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels said Israeli airstrikes hit multiple areas across Yemen’s capital on Sunday.
According to the Houthi-run Health Ministry, at least two people were killed and 35 were wounded.
The rebels’ Al-Masirah satellite television reported a strike on an oil company; video on social media showed a fireball erupting there.
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 loud explosions close to a closed military academy and the presidential palace. They said they could see 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.
Once a rag-tag group in Yemen — one of the world’s poorest countries — Iran has helped the Houthis become major players capable of disrupting global shipping traffic in the Red Sea. CBC’s Paul Hunter breaks down the rise of the Houthis and what the world needs to watch for. [Correction: In a previous version of this video, we reported that Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by several countries and entities, including the United Nations. In fact, the UN does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization.]
Ahmed al-Mekhlafy said he felt the sheer force of the strikes.
“The house was rocked and the windows were shattered,” he said by phone.
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, claimed the latest airstrikes won’t deter the rebels and vowed to continue attacks on Israel.
“Our military operations supporting Gaza won’t stop, God willing, unless the aggression is stopped, and the siege is lifted,” he wrote on social media.
Tit for tat
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 latest strikes follow the Houthis’ claim of launching a newly equipped missile toward Israel on Friday, including targeting the country’s largest airport, Ben Gurion. There were no reported damages or injuries. Israel’s military said it fragmented mid-air after several interception attempts.
An Israeli air force official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, called the projectile fired on Friday a new threat. It was a cluster munition, he said, meant to detonate into multiple explosives on impact.
The use of cluster bombs makes Israeli interception more difficult and represents additional technology provided to the Houthis by Iran, the official asserted.
The official said over 10 Israeli fighter jets carried out Sunday’s strikes.
Houthi attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which goods worth about $1 trillion pass each year.
From November 2023 to December 2024, the Houthis targeted more than 100 ships with missiles and drones. The rebels stopped their attacks during a brief ceasefire in Gaza and later became the target of a weeks-long airstrike campaign ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump.
In May, the U.S. announced a deal with the Houthis to end the airstrikes in return for an end to shipping attacks, although the rebel group said the agreement did not include halting attacks on targets it believed were aligned with Israel.
In May, Israeli airstrikes hit the Sanaa airport in a rare daytime attack that destroyed the terminal and left craters in its runway. At least six passenger planes were hit, including three belonging to Yemenia Airways, according to airport authorities.