Israel Air Force fighter jets struck Houthi regime targets in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on Wednesday, the military confirmed.
The IDF said that among the targets were Houthi army camps, the headquarters of the Houthis’ propaganda department, and a fuel storage site that was used for the regime’s military activity.
According to the military, the strike on Sanaa was a response to recent attacks by the Houthis against Israel, specifically drones and surface-to-surface missiles that were launched at Israeli territory. This includes the Houthi drone attack on Ramon Airport in Eilat, which led to the brief closing of the airspace and to passengers being wounded by shrapnel.
The Houthi-run Health Ministry said that 35 people were killed and 131 others were wounded in Israel’s retaliation.
According to the Arab media television network Al-Araby, the strike also targeted Houthi government offices, including the Finance Ministry and the Defense Ministry in central Sanaa.
Saudi outlet Al-Hadath reported that the attack struck six Houthi targets, with the main one being a defense complex in the city center.
The strike represented the longest flight made by an Israeli pilot since the beginning of the war, covering a total of 2,350 km. to complete the mission.
A Houthi military spokesperson said that their air defenses attempted to intercept the attack, Reuters reported.
Sanaa residents told Reuters that the attack was on a hideout between two mountains that is used as a Houthi command and control center. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
According to Army Radio, among the targets were Houthi headquarters and military camps.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the attack.
“A few days ago, we eliminated most of the members of the Houthis’ terror government. In response, the Houthis fired on Ramon Airport two days ago. That did not weaken our resolve,” he said.
“We promised more strikes, and today we prepared another painful strike against the Houthis in Yemen,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
Israel's previous attack on Yemen
Houthi prime minister Ghalib al-Rahawi and several other ministers were killed in the IAF strike in Sanaa in August, the news agency run by the terrorist group said on Saturday, citing a statement by the head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat.
The other 11 ministers who were killed included culture and tourism minister Ali Qasem Hussein al-Yafe’i, foreign affairs minister Jamal Ahmed Ali Amer, information minister Hashem Ahmed Abdulrahman Sharaf al-Din, justice minister Mujahid Ahmed Abdullah Ali, as well as government chief of staff Mohammed al-Qubaisi, and cabinet secretary Zahad al-Amadi.
Yonah Jeremy Bob, Amichai Stein, and Reuters contributed to this report.