Screengrab of footage of Israeli strikes on Sanaa circulating on X (Twitter)
The air force targeted a missile base near the presidential palace in Sanaa. The strikes also hit a military site within the palace complex, as well as fuel stores and two power stations. The presidential palace was a central target in the attack, Al Jazeera reported, citing Israeli media.
Fourteen Israeli fighter jets took part in the operation, firing around 40 missiles, Al Jazeera added. These are the first reported strikes on Yemen since last week, when Israel said it had targeted energy infrastructure in the country.
The Houthis, allied with Iran, have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea for more than 22 months. They say the attacks are carried out in solidarity with Palestinians suffering under Israel’s war and blockade of the Gaza Strip.
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 smoke plumes near Sabeen Square, a central gathering place in the capital.
“The sound of explosions were very strong,” said Hussein Mohamed, a Yemeni resident, who lives close to the presidential palace.
Ahmed al-Mekhlafy, another resident, also felt the sheer force of the strikes. “The house was rocked, and the windows were shattered,” he told the AP over the phone.
The strike comes days after the Houthis claimed they launched newly equipped missiles toward Israel, including targeting the country’s largest airport. There was no reported damage or injuries in Israel from the missile launched on Friday. Israel’s military said it fragmented mid-air after several attempts to intercept it.
An Israeli Air Force official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, said the kind of projectile fired from Yemen towards Israel on Friday night was a new threat. The missile was a cluster munition, he said, a projectile that is supposed to detonate into multiple explosives.
It was the first time the Houthis had launched a cluster bomb at Israel since the Yemeni group began launching rockets towards Israel in 2023, the official said.
The use of cluster bombs makes it harder for Israel to intercept and also represents additional technology provided to the Houthis by Iran, according to the official.
The Houthi attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of goods passes 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 the war and later became the target of an intense, weekslong airstrike campaign ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump.
In May, the United States 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 capital Sanaa in a rare daytime attack that destroyed the facility’s terminal and left craters in its runway. At least six passenger planes were hit in that strike, including three belonging to Yemenia Airways, according to the airport authorities.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
Short link: