Israeli airstrikes in Yemen on Wednesday killed at least 35 people and wounded more than 130, the Houthi-run health ministry said, in a strike campaign that came days after Houthi rebels launched a drone that hit an Israeli airport.
Most of the deaths were reported in the capital, Sanaa, where the health ministry said a military headquarters and a fuel station were struck. Search teams continued to dig through rubble and residents reported explosions, fires and smoke across multiple areas of the city. The Houthi media outlet Al-Masirah said one strike hit a military headquarters in central Sanaa and that nearby homes were damaged.
Houthi officials said the strikes also hit a fuel station that supplies hospitals in the capital and a government facility in Hazm, the capital of northern Jawf province. Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said rebels fired surface-to-air missiles at Israeli fighter jets during the raids. Houthi-backed President Mahdi al-Mashat warned that attacks would continue and urged Israelis to “stay alarmed since the response is coming without fail.”
The strikes followed an Aug. 25 Houthi drone attack that breached Israel’s multilayered air defenses and struck a southern Israeli airport, part of an escalation by the Iran-backed group which says it is supporting Hamas and the Palestinians in Gaza. Israel has previously launched waves of strikes in Yemen in response to Houthi launches of missiles and drones toward Israeli territory.
The violence in Yemen comes amid broader regional reverberations after Israel on Tuesday carried out a strike in Doha, Qatar, targeting what it said were Hamas leaders. That strike, which killed lower-ranking members and bodyguards according to Hamas, drew widespread condemnation and heightened concerns about a wider regional conflagration. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday she would seek sanctions and a partial trade suspension against Israel over its conduct in Gaza, saying “man-made famine can never be a weapon of war.” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called von der Leyen’s remarks the product of pressure that undermines Israel-Europe relations.
The strikes on Yemen also come as Israel intensifies operations in Gaza. The Israeli military said it would soon increase the pace of targeted strikes near Gaza City as it prepares for what it described as the next phases of its offensive against Hamas. Israel has ordered roughly 1 million people to evacuate Gaza City and head south to a designated zone where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are living in crowded tent camps. Many residents have said they cannot leave because of lack of money, transport or strength, and some describe the designated areas as unsafe.
Residents and displaced Palestinians described dire conditions. “There is no safe zone in the Gaza Strip,” said Fawzi Muftah as civilians moved with household belongings. Amal Sobh, displaced and traveling with 30 relatives including 13 orphans, said a vehicle carrying their possessions broke down and they had no fuel or adequate shelter as winter approaches.
Humanitarian agencies and international experts have warned of severe malnutrition and famine conditions in parts of Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that 126 people, including 26 children, had died of causes related to malnutrition in Gaza City since Aug. 22, and that a total of 404 people, including 141 children, had succumbed to malnutrition-related causes since the war began. Israel denies that there is starvation in Gaza and says it is allowing in humanitarian aid.
The current conflict traces to Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, in which militants killed some 1,200 people and abducted 251, according to Israeli tallies. Around 48 hostages remain inside Gaza, with Israeli authorities and international organizations seeking their release. Since Oct. 7, Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported more than 64,600 people killed; the ministry does not provide a breakdown of combatant versus civilian casualties but says women and children account for roughly half of the dead. Israel says it attempts to avoid civilian harm and blames militants for operating within populated areas.
The strikes in Yemen mark a further widening of the confrontation between Israel and Houthi forces, adding to international concern over the conflict’s spillover effects across the Middle East and its humanitarian toll on civilians in Gaza and Yemen.