Israel and Iran-backed Houthi rebels have exchanged fire several times since the war in Gaza erupted after October 7, 2023.
At least six people were killed and dozens wounded in Israeli strikes on Yemeni capital Sanaa on Sunday, according to the Houthi rebels who control the territory, reported Reuters.
According to Houthi health official, six people died and 86 were wounded in Israeli attacks on Sunday.
A building in central Sanaa was one of the sites targeted by the Israeli forces, a Houthi security source told AFP. Other locations included a power plant and a gas station.
Horrifying visuals from the site, widely circulated on social media, show plumes of black smoke rising above buildings as people frantically scream in the background. In one of the videos, a huge fireball is seen rising between buildings in an apparent strike zone.
Hindustan Times could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
Israel and Iran-backed Houthi rebels have exchanged fire several times since the war in Gaza erupted after October 7, 2023.
What IDF said
The Israeli Defence Forces called the strikes retaliatory and said they were conducted “in response to repeated attacks by the Houthi terrorist regime against the State of Israel and its civilians, including the launching of surface-to-surface missiles and UAVs toward Israeli territory in recent days.”
Late Friday, the Huthis fired a missile that Israeli authorities said had “most likely fragmented in mid-air”, according to the AFP report.
The IDF said that they struck “military infrastructure” of the Houthi regime in Sanaa, including a military site in which the presidency palace is located, the Asar and Hizaz power plants, and a site for storing fuel. “All were used for the military activity of the Houthi terrorist regime,” the Israeli forces said.
They also claimed that they struck Hizaz and Asar power plants in Sanaa and claimed that Houthis use civilian infrastructure for military purposes.
“The strike on the power plants damages the production and supply of electricity for military purposes. The use of these plants constitutes further proof of how the Houthi regime uses civilian infrastructure for military purposes,” the IDF statement read.
