Israel bombs the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, in air strikes against Houthi militants

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Israeli warplanes have bombed port and energy targets across Yemen, including their first strikes on the capital, Sanaa, the third direct attack launched by Israel against Iran-backed Houthi militants this year.

The Israeli military said it launched “precision strikes” against targets that “contributed to (the Houthis’) military actions,” including port facilities on the Red Sea coast in Hodeidah, Saleef, and Ras Issa, as well as energy facilities in Yemen. Sanaa. Nine people were killed in the raids, according to Houthi-controlled media reports.

The strikes early Thursday came shortly after the Houthis, who control Yemen, launched ballistic missiles into the country that were intercepted by Israeli air defenses. Residents of central Israel woke up to the sounds of sirens, and a school outside Tel Aviv was severely damaged by what authorities said were likely missile fragments.

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz made a direct threat to the group’s leaders on Thursday, saying that “Israel’s long hand will extend to you as well.”

“Whoever raises his hand against the State of Israel will have his hand cut off. He added: “Whoever harms us will harm him seven times more.”

The Houthis began shooting at commercial ships in the Red Sea and launching drones and missiles at Israel after an attack by the Gaza-based Hamas movement on October 7, 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with the Palestinians. Their attacks severely disrupted shipping along one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes.

The Houthis, along with Hamas, Lebanese Hezbollah militants, and Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria, formed the Iranian-led “axis of resistance,” whose capabilities have been severely degraded by Israel in recent months.

A multinational naval task force, led by US and British forces, attempted to protect commercial ships in the area. On Monday, it launched air strikes on what the US military described as a Houthi “command and control facility” in Sanaa.

The Houthis fired “hundreds” of missiles and armed drones at Israel, according to the Israeli military, including a long-range missile that targeted central Israel on Monday. An Israeli military official confirmed that the planes were “already in the air” early Thursday when the Houthis fired the latest missile.

“This operation has already been planned… It is not something you can execute within five minutes of launching a ballistic missile,” the official added.

Houthi drone strike last July One person was killed in Tel AvivIn what is believed to be an operation targeting the US embassy building. This attack led to the first long-range direct strikes launched by Israel on Yemen, targeting port facilities in Hodeidah. A continued Houthi missile barrage into Israel led to a subsequent airstrike in September.

The Houthis pledged to continue their attacks on Israel and international shipping until the war in Gaza ends.

Brigadier General Yahya Sarie, the Houthi military spokesman, claimed on Thursday that the group fired “two hypersonic ballistic missiles” at Israeli military targets, calling it a “natural and legitimate response” to air strikes on Yemen.

The spokesman said in a statement, “The Israeli aggression will not deter Yemen and the Yemenis from performing their religious and moral duty in responding to the (Israeli) massacres in the Gaza Strip.”

Additional reporting by Ahmed Al-Omran