The Israeli air force on Sunday afternoon struck the Yemeni Houthi capital of Sanaa in response to Friday’s ballistic missile strike by the Houthis on Israel, The Jerusalem Post confirmed from security sources.
The strikes, which included more than 10 aircraft flying over 2,000 kilometers for five-and-a-half hours total and dropping around 35 munitions, targeted an area near the presidential complex, electric power stations, and sites where the Yemen-based terrorist group may keep ballistic missiles.
Shortly after, the Post received confirmation in an on-background statement, and the Defense Ministry put out a photo of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, and Air Force Chief of Staff Brig.-Gen. Omer Tishler managing the attack from Air Force Headquarters.
The IDF added that the presidential palace in the Sanaa area is located within a military site from which Houthi forces operate.
In the past, most Israeli counter attacks have been against the Houthi port city of Hodeidah in order to grind their economy and their ability to resupply weapons to a halt. However, the IDF has also struck before in Sanaa, especially several times at the country’s international airport there.
Israeli counterattacks sought to halt Houthi economy, ability to resupply weapons
In the past, most Israeli counterattacks have been against the Yemeni Houthi port city of Hodeidah in order to grind their economy and ability to resupply weapons to a halt.
However, the IDF has also struck before in Sanaa, especially multiple times at the country's international airport there. Some of the sites being hit are expected to widen the extent of electricity shortages in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
If these sites are new, hitting them will harm the Houthis’ ballistic missile capabilities more significantly, making it one of the first achievements of a new emphasis on wider intelligence collection within Yemen.
The Post has learned that there is a strong push by Israeli intelligence to better understand ways to reduce the Houthi threat, but also that it is playing catch-up after mostly ignoring Yemen until this war, or even deep into the war when it became apparent that US pressure would not stop the terrorist group’s attacks on Israel.
The strikes killed four people and injured 67 in a "near-final toll", a Houthi health ministry spokesperson said on X.
Reuters contributed to this report.