Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen’s capital, targeting Iran-backed Houthis

Israel strikes Sanaa, Yemen after Houthi cluster missile launch, killing two and injuring 35 as power plants and military sites hit.

Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen’s capital on Sunday, just days after the Houthi rebels fired a missile toward Israel that its military described as the first cluster bomb the rebels had fired at it since 2023.

The Iranian-backed Houthis said the strikes hit multiple areas across Sanaa. The Houthi-run health ministry said that at least two people were killed and 35 others were wounded.

The rebels’ Al-Masirah satellite television reported a strike on an oil company, and 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.

Ahmed al-Mekhlafy said he felt the sheer force of the strikes. “The house was rocked, and the windows were shattered,” he told the AP 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.