Israeli air raids on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and al-Jawf province on Wednesday killed at least 35 people and injured 131, a day after a strike in Doha targeted Hamas leaders. Yemen’s Health Ministry said the toll could rise as rescue workers searched through rubble and fires.
Authorities reported that homes in Sanaa’s al-Tahrir district, a medical facility on 60th Street, and a government office in al-Hazm were among the sites hit. Al Masirah TV said a health-sector building in southwest Sanaa and the Moral Guidance Headquarters were also struck. “Martyrs, wounded, and several homes damaged as a result of the Israeli attack on the Moral Guidance Headquarters,” it posted on Telegram.
The Yemen Oil and Gas Corporation confirmed a medical station was targeted. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said their defences confronted Israeli aircraft. “Our air defences were able to launch a number of surface-to-air missiles while confronting the Zionist aggression against our country,” the group said, adding that some planes withdrew before striking.
Israel’s military admitted responsibility, saying it hit “military targets belonging to the Houthi terrorist regime,” including “military camps… the Houthis’ military public relations headquarters and a fuel storage facility.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes were retaliation for a recent Houthi drone attack on Ramon Airport. “This [attack] did not weaken our hand – we struck them again from the air today, at their terror facilities, at terror bases with a great many terrorists, and also at other facilities,” he wrote on X. “We will continue to strike. Anyone who strikes us, anyone who attacks us – we will reach them.”
Israel has repeatedly targeted Yemen in recent months, including an air strike last month that killed Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi. Saree accused Israel of attempting to break Houthi support for Gaza but pledged continued operations until Israel halts its war.
The Houthis have disrupted Red Sea shipping tied to Israel and carried out cross-border attacks in solidarity with Palestinians, vowing to stop only if a Gaza ceasefire is secured. Nearly 64,000 Palestinians have died since Israel’s campaign began in October 2023.
On Tuesday, Israel also bombed a residential building in Doha where Hamas officials were meeting over a ceasefire plan from US President Donald Trump. Six were killed, but Hamas said senior leaders survived.
