Israel carries out what it calls its most powerful strike in Yemen against the Houthis, eight killed in Sanaa
Israeli air force targeted the Houthis' security and military infrastructure in the capital, as civilians were reported among the dead, according to Houthi authorities.
Israel’s air force conducted what it described as its most powerful strike in Yemen, aiming at the Houthis’ security and intelligence apparatus and other military sites in the capital, Sanaa, in what it said was retaliation for sustained drone and missile attacks on Israel.
The Israeli military said dozens of aircraft bombed targets that included the Houthi General Staff Command Headquarters, security and intelligence compounds, the Houthis’ military public relations headquarters, and military camps used to store weapons. It added that the operation targeted facilities in Sanaa’s Maain and Sabaeen districts and the Dhahban power station. The strikes followed a day in which a Houthi drone attack on the Israeli resort of Eilat injured 22 people, two of them seriously, according to Israeli officials.
In Sanaa, the Houthi-run health ministry reported that eight people were killed and 142 injured, and it said civilians were among the casualties. It also said first responders were still searching under rubble for additional victims. Health officials gave a running tally of fatalities as the government warned that the damage extended to residential areas and infrastructure supplied by the Dhahban power station. The Houthis, who control much of northwestern Yemen, have issued similar statements in past escalations, portraying strikes on Israel as part of their support for Palestinians.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had stated on social media that the country had delivered a powerful strike against Houthi targets in Sanaa, while a separate IDF statement emphasized the operation as part of a broader effort to respond to ongoing and repeated attacks from Yemen. The military also noted that it would continue to operate against what it described as the Houthi regime and would conduct additional offensive actions in the near future. The announcement came as Israel has faced a barrage of drones and missiles launched from Yemen since the Gaza war began, including attempts to disrupt Red Sea shipping and Israeli territory.
The IDF has said that since the Gaza war began, it has intercepted more than 98% of drones launched toward Israel by the Houthis, a figure it cites to illustrate the effectiveness of its air defense systems in the broader conflict. The Houthis’ military spokesperson described the Eilat strike as a response to what it called “genocide” and escalating Israeli actions against Palestinians in Gaza.
The past week has seen a clash of cross-border actions. On September 10, four days after a Houthi drone attack on Ramon Airport in Eilat wounded one person, Israeli forces conducted a series of strikes in Sanaa and the neighboring al-Jawf province that, according to the Houthi-run health ministry, killed 35 people. The government in Sanaa has repeatedly characterized such strikes as violations of international law and as part of a broader pattern of aggression against Yemen.
The international press corps has also faced consequences in the ongoing conflict. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said last week that 31 journalists and media-support workers were among those killed in Sanaa during that period, labeling the incident among the deadliest assaults on the press worldwide in 16 years. The Houthi government newspaper reported that many of those slain were associated with official outlets and facilities that had been targeted in prior strikes. The IDF at the time said it had targeted what it described as the Houthi Public Relations Department, a claim that underscores the contested narratives that accompany cross-border hostilities in the region.
The Houthis have long used the Red Sea corridor to project power beyond Yemen’s borders, arguing that their actions are in defense of Palestinians and against Israeli aggression. They have controlled large areas of Yemen’s capital and other territories since 2014, and they intensified strikes into regional waters and into Israel after the Gaza war began in 2023. Israel has repeatedly stressed that it will respond to attacks and has conducted numerous strikes in Yemen over the years.
As the fighting persists, the region remains on edge. Yemen’s civil war, the broader Israeli-Gaza conflict, and the involvement of regional actors have continued to shape a volatile security landscape, with limited opportunities for a durable ceasefire or humanitarian pause. International observers have urged de-escalation and restraint, while warning that civilian lives are repeatedly caught in the crossfire as both sides pursue strategic aims beyond the battlefield.