Israeli air strikes kill 35 in Yemen
Israeli attacks Yemen
At least 35 people were killed and more than 130 injured after Israeli air strikes hit multiple locations in Yemen yesterday, a day after Israel bombed a residential building in Doha, Qatar, in an apparent bid to assassinate Hamas leaders.
Yemen’s Health Ministry said the strikes targeted densely populated residential areas in the capital, Sanaa, and Al-Jawf governorate, warning that the death toll could rise as rescue teams search for survivors under the rubble.
According to officials, homes in Sanaa’s al-Tahrir neighbourhood, a medical facility on 60th Street, and a government compound in Al-Hazm were among the sites struck. Civil defence teams are battling fires and pulling survivors from debris, while the Houthis’ Al Masirah TV reported damage to health facilities and government buildings.
The Yemen Oil and Gas Corporation also confirmed that a medical station on al-Sitteen Street was destroyed.
In response, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group fired surface-to-air missiles at Israeli aircraft, claiming some combat formations were forced to retreat. “Our air defences were able to launch a number of surface-to-air missiles while confronting the Zionist aggression against our country,” he stated
Israel later confirmed the operation, describing it as a strike on “military targets belonging to the Houthi terrorist regime” in Sanaa and Al-Jawf. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the assault was in retaliation for a Houthi drone strike on Israel’s Ramon Airport earlier this week, vowing that Israel would continue hitting back at its adversaries across the region.
The escalation follows a string of Israeli strikes in Yemen, including an attack last month that killed top Yemeni officials such as Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi. The Houthis, who have launched drone and missile attacks into Israel and imposed a blockade on Israeli-linked vessels in the Red Sea, insist they will only halt operations if the war on Gaza ends.
The conflict in Gaza has now entered its 23rd month, with more than 64,000 Palestinians reported killed since October 2023.
