At least 35 people were killed and more than 130 were injured after Israeli air strikes targeted multiple locations in Yemen on Wednesday, a day after Israel bombed a residential building in Doha, Qatar, in an apparent attempt to assassinate Hamas leaders, Al-Jazeera reported.
According to Yemen’s Ministry of Health on Thursday, the strikes hit densely populated residential areas in the capital, Sanaa, as well as the Al-Jawf governorate.
The ministry described the casualties as a preliminary toll and warned that the death count may rise as rescue teams continue to search for survivors beneath the rubble.
The ministry reported that among the locations struck were homes in Sanaa’s al-Tahrir neighbourhood, a medical facility on 60th Street, and a government compound in Al-Hazm, the capital of Al-Jawf.
Civil defence teams are currently working to extinguish fires and pull survivors from the debris. The attacks caused widespread damage to civilian infrastructure, including fuel and health facilities.
The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV stated that “martyrs, wounded, and several homes [were] damaged as a result of the Israeli attack on the Moral Guidance Headquarters,” adding that Israeli forces targeted the health sector in southwest Sanaa and government buildings in Al-Jawf.
The Yemen Oil and Gas Corporation also confirmed that a medical station on al-Sitteen Street was struck during the bombardment.
In response to the air strikes, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed that the group used surface-to-air missiles to repel Israeli aircraft.
“Our air defences were able to launch a number of surface-to-air missiles while confronting the Zionist aggression against our country,” Saree said in a statement on Telegram. “Some combat formations were forced to leave before carrying out their aggression, and the bulk of the attack was thwarted, thanks be to God.”
Israel’s military later confirmed the operation.
“A short while ago, the IAF [Israeli Air Force] struck military targets belonging to the Houthi terrorist regime in the areas of Sanaa and Al-Jawf in Yemen.
“The targets included military camps in which operatives of the terrorist regime were identified, the Houthis’ military public relations headquarters and a fuel storage facility that was used by the terrorist regime,” said an Israeli military spokesperson in a statement.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack was in retaliation for a Houthi drone strike on Israel’s Ramon Airport earlier this week.
“This [attack] did not weaken our hand – we struck them again from the air today, at their terror facilities, at terror bases with a great many terrorists, and also at other facilities.
“We will continue to strike. Anyone who strikes us, anyone who attacks us – we will reach them,” Netanyahu said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
This latest escalation followed a pattern of repeated Israeli attacks on Yemen. Last month, Israeli air strikes killed top Yemeni officials, including Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi. The Houthis have vowed continued resistance against Israel, stating that they will persist in their operations until the war on Gaza ends.
The group has imposed a maritime blockade on Israeli-linked vessels in the Red Sea and launched multiple air strikes into Israeli territory. The Houthis have said they will cease attacks only if a ceasefire is reached in Gaza.
The ongoing Israeli campaign in Gaza has now stretched into its 23rd month. More than 64,000 Palestinians have been reported killed since the start of the war in October 2023.
In addition to its campaign in Gaza, Israel has expanded its military operations across the region, targeting sites in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. The Israeli government has also intensified operations in the occupied West Bank, displacing thousands of Palestinians.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces bombed a residential building in Doha where Hamas leaders were reportedly meeting to discuss a ceasefire proposal from US President Donald Trump. At least six people were killed, though Hamas later stated that its top leadership had survived the attack.
