Israeli warplanes carried out fresh airstrikes on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on Sunday, in response to a missile fired toward Israel by Houthi rebels just days earlier. According to the Houthi media office, the strikes targeted multiple sites across the city, including a power plant, a gas station, and areas near the presidential palace. Residents reported hearing a series of powerful explosions, with smoke rising over several neighborhoods, including Sabeen Square, one of the capital’s central landmarks.
The attack marked the first Israeli strike on Yemen in a week. Previously, Israel had acknowledged hitting energy infrastructure it claimed was being used by the Houthis to facilitate their missile and drone operations. However, there was no immediate official confirmation from Israel regarding Sunday’s airstrikes.
Local accounts described the intensity of the bombardment. Hussein Mohamed, a resident living near the presidential palace, said the blasts were so strong that they shook the entire area. Another resident, Ahmed al-Mekhlafy, told the Associated Press that the force of the explosions shattered windows in his home and left people terrified. The strikes also reportedly damaged a military academy that had been shut down for months.
The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, vowed that the attacks would not deter them. Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthi media office, declared that their military operations in solidarity with Gaza would continue unless Israel halts its military campaign and lifts the blockade on the Palestinian enclave.
This latest round of hostilities comes after the Houthis claimed on Friday that they had fired newly developed missiles toward Israel, including one aimed at the country’s largest airport. Israel’s military confirmed that it intercepted the projectile midair, identifying it as a cluster munition, which breaks apart into multiple smaller explosives. According to an Israeli Air Force official, this marked the first time the Houthis had used such advanced weaponry against Israel, signaling an escalation in their capabilities and underscoring Iran’s role in supplying the group with increasingly sophisticated arms.
The Houthis’ campaign of missile and drone strikes, which began in 2023, has severely disrupted maritime traffic in the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes through which goods worth around USD 1 trillion pass each year. Between November 2023 and December 2024, the group launched over 100 attacks on commercial vessels, prompting widespread concern among global shipping companies and leading to international military responses.
While the United States previously brokered a deal with the Houthis to halt attacks on Red Sea shipping in exchange for ending airstrikes, the rebels made clear that their operations against Israel and its allies would continue. Israel itself has launched multiple retaliatory strikes on Yemen since the conflict escalated, including a rare daytime raid in May that heavily damaged Sanaa International Airport, destroyed its runway, and crippled several passenger planes belonging to Yemenia Airways.
Sunday’s strikes therefore represent a continuation of an increasingly dangerous cycle of escalation, with Israel determined to neutralize the Houthi threat and the rebels equally resolute in framing their actions as part of their wider campaign in support of Palestinians in Gaza. The situation has heightened fears of further regional spillover, with the Red Sea shipping crisis and the introduction of advanced missile technology adding new layers of complexity to an already volatile conflict.
