A photo circulating on X shows US President Donald Trump watching American airstrikes on Yemen live from the White House.
A resident described a "horrific explosion" that shook the capital late Saturday during suhoor, the night-time meal in Ramadan.
"The house shook, the windows shattered, and my family and I were terrified," father-of-two Ahmed, who did not want to give his full name, told AFP.
"I've been living in Sanaa for 10 years, hearing shelling throughout the war. By God, I've never experienced anything like this before."
The Houthi rebels, who control much of the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country, have been fighting a Saudi-led coalition since 2015.
The US strikes came after Yemen's Houthi group warned on Tuesday they were "resuming the ban on the passage of all Israeli ships" on the vital Red Sea shipping lane after Israel failed to meet the four-day deadline the group set on Friday to lift its blockade on humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza.
"This is the most scared I've been since the beginning of the war," said Malik, 43, who has three children.
"Yesterday's shelling in Al-Jiraf (northern Sanaa) was absolutely terrifying: six strikes in a row.
"My children were screaming and crying in my arms. It's the first time I've ever said the Shahada," he said, referring to the prayer that is recited before death.
"I was waiting for one of these missiles to hit our house."
Victims are 'always civilians'
Attacks on Sanaa, Saada in northwest Yemen, and other areas killed 31 and wounded 101, according to the Houthi health ministry.
Footage from the group's Al Masirah TV showed children and a woman among those being treated in a hospital emergency room, including a dazed girl with blackened legs wrapped in bandages.
Screengrab from footage courtesy Al Masirah TV
Late on Saturday, a plume of white smoke had risen over Sanaa after explosions rocked the northern district of the capital.
Mohammad Albasha, a US-based consultant, said the area targeted in Sanaa was home to senior Houthi leaders and considered their stronghold in the capital.
"This is the point of no return, and from now on, it's gloves off between the Houthis and CENTCOM," he said, referring to the regional US military command.
Since October 2023, Houthi rebels have attacked Israel and ships linked to Tel Aviv to pressure Israel to end its war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 48,000 Palestinians. The attacks triggered reprisals from US and British warplanes, with regular strikes on Yemen since the war began.
Amal, 29, who lives with her mother in Sanaa, said Saturday's attacks were "terrifying... windows were shattered and the walls of the house shook".
But she added: "We've witnessed hundreds of raids, most of them in the same areas.
"Several military operations against the Houthis have been announced, but they've only added more casualties, most of them civilians.
"The homes and locations of the leaders are well-known, but the victims are always civilians."
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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