Israeli airstrikes target Houthis in Yemen's capital, two killed

 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 Houthis said the strikes hit multiple areas across Sanaa, including a power plant and a gas station.

Two people were killed and five others were wounded in a strike on an oil company, the rebels' Al Masirah satellite television reported. 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 reporters that 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 reporters on 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.

Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthi media office, claimed the latest airstrikes won’t deter the rebels, and vowed to continue attacks on Israel.

"Our military operations supporting Gaza won’t stop, God willing, unless the aggression is stopped, and the siege is lifted,” he wrote on social media.

The Israeli strikes were the first to hit Yemen since a week ago, when Israel said it targeted energy infrastructure it believed was used by the rebels.

Associated Press