By Euronews
Published on
Israel’s latest airstrikes on Wednesday struck a number of key Houthi military targets in Yemen, in response to the Iran-backed group’s drone attack on an Israeli airport earlier this week.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said the strikes hit military camps, propaganda headquarters, and a fuel depot in Sanaa and the northern al-Jawf province.
The Houthis claimed their air defences forced some Israeli jets to withdraw. However, Israeli officials reported that the strikes have successfully reached their targets.
The mission marked Israel’s 17th strike on the Iran-backed group since the beginning of the conflict in November 2023.
“We promised more strikes, and today we dealt another painful blow to the Houthi terror organisation in Yemen,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said.
The Houthi health ministry spokesperson Anees Alasbahi said the strikes on Wednesday killed at least 35 people and injured more than 130 others.
The IDF strike was in response to he latest rounds of Houthi missile and drone attacks on Israel, including a drone that hit Ramon Airport in southern Israel. The Houthis launched another ballistic missile toward southern Israel early Thursday, which was intercepted.
The Houthis, who control most of the country’s northwestern region, including the Red Sea coast and the capital Sanaa, have regularly launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea throughout the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
In response to the Houthi attacks, Israel and a United States-led coalition pounded areas in Yemen held by the group, including Sanaa and the strategic coastal city of Hodeida, with heavy strikes for months.
Israeli strikes knocked Sanaa airport out of service in May.
The Trump administration announced a deal with the Houthis to end the strikes in return for an end to attacks on shipping in May.
However, the group said the agreement did not include halting attacks on targets it believed were aligned with Israel.
Israel’s previous strike on Sanaa on 28 August resulted in the deaths of the Houthi government’s prime minister and at least 11 other ministers.
Additional sources • AP
