Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen’s capital, targeting Iran-backed Houthis

CAIRO AP 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 The Iranian-backed Houthis explained the strikes hit multiple areas across Sanaa The Houthi-run wellbeing ministry noted that at least two people were killed and others were wounded The rebels Al-Masirah satellite television published a strike on an oil company and video on social media revealed a fireball erupting there Israel s military revealed it struck the Asar and Hizaz power plants calling them a vital electricity supply facility for military exercises along with a military site where the presidential palace is located Sanaa residents advised The Associated Press they heard loud explosions close to a closed military academy and the presidential palace They announced they could see plumes of smoke near Sabeen Square a central gathering place in the capital The sounds of explosions were very strong reported Hussein Mohamed who lives close to the presidential palace Ahmed al-Mekhlafy mentioned he felt the sheer force of the strikes The house was rocked and the windows were shattered he narrated the AP by phone The Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea for over 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 mentioned it targeted strength infrastructure it deduced was used by the rebels The latest strikes follow the Houthis claim of launching a newly equipped missile toward Israel on Friday including targeting the country s largest airport Ben Gurion There was no communicated damage or injuries Israel s military stated it fragmented mid-air after several interception attempts An Israeli Air Force official speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations called the projectile fired on Friday a new threat It was a cluster munition he revealed meant to detonate into multiple explosives on impact The use of cluster bombs makes Israeli interception more challenging and represents additional equipment provided to the Houthis by Iran the official asserted The official commented over Israeli fighter jets carried out Sunday s strikes Houthi attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea through which about trillion of goods passes each year From November to December the Houthis targeted more than ships with missiles and drones The rebels stopped their attacks during a brief ceasefire in Gaza and later became the target of a weekslong airstrike campaign ordered by U S President Donald Trump In May the United States revealed a deal with the Houthis to end the airstrikes in return for an end to shipping attacks although the rebel group reported the agreement did not include halting attacks on targets it inferred were aligned with Israel In May Israeli airstrikes hit the Sanaa airport in a rare daytime attack that destroyed the terminal and left craters in its runway At least six traveler planes were hit including three belonging to Yemenia Airways according to airport officers Lidman shared from Tel Aviv Israel and Metz from Jerusalem Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai United Arab Emirates contributed to this review Source