Israeli airstrikes targeting Iran-backed Houthis rock Yemen's capital

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CAIRO (AP) — Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen ’s capital days after the Houthi rebels fired a missile toward Israel that its military described as the first cluster bomb the rebels had launched at it since 2023.

The Iranian-backed Houthis said multiple areas across Sanaa were hit on Sunday, while the Houthi-run health ministry said at least six people were killed and 86 others were wounded, seven of them in critical condition.

The rebels' Al-Masirah satellite television reported that a strike hit an oil facility owned by the country's main oil company, which is controlled by the rebels, and video on social media showed a fireball erupting at the plant.

Israel’s military said it struck the Asar oil facility and the Hizaz power plant, which it called “a significant electricity supply facility for military activities,” along with a military site where the presidential palace is located.

Sanaa residents told The Associated Press they heard explosions close to a closed military academy and the presidential palace. They saw plumes of smoke near Sabeen Square, a central gathering place in the capital.

“The sounds of explosions were very strong,” said Hussein Mohamed, who lives close to the presidential palace.

Ahmed al-Mekhlafy said he felt the sheer force of the strikes. “The house was rocked, and the windows were shattered,” he told the AP by phone.

The Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea for over 22 months, saying they are attacking in solidarity with Palestinians amid the war in Gaza.

Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthi media office, vowed to continue attacks on Israel, writing on social media that “our military operations supporting Gaza won’t stop, God willing, unless the aggression is stopped, and the siege is lifted."

The Israeli strikes were the first to hit Yemen since a week ago, when Israel said it targeted energy infrastructure it believed was used by the rebels.

The latest strikes follow the Houthis' claim of launching a newly equipped missile toward Israel on Friday, targeting the country’s largest airport, Ben Gurion. There was no reported damage or injuries. Israel’s military said it fragmented mid-air after several interception attempts.

An Israeli Air Force official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, called Friday's projectile a new threat — a cluster munition, meant to detonate into multiple explosives on impact.

The use of cluster bombs makes interception more difficult and represents additional technology provided to the Houthis by Iran, the official asserted.

The official also said over 10 Israeli fighter jets carried out Sunday's strikes.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that Israel continues to “impose an air and naval blockade,” without details. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in televised remarks that the rebel group is “paying a heavy price for its aggression.”

Houthi attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of global goods passes each year. From November 2023 to December 2024, the Houthis targeted more than 100 commercial and naval ships with missiles and drones.

The rebels stopped the attacks during this year's brief ceasefire in Gaza and later became the target of a weekslong airstrike campaign ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump.

In May, the United States announced a deal with the Houthis to end the airstrikes in return for an end to attacks on shipping, although the rebels said the agreement did not include halting attacks on targets it believed were aligned with Israel.

Last month, the Houthis said they would target merchant ships belonging to any company that does business with Israeli ports, regardless of nationality, as part of what they called a new phase of operations against Israel.

In May, Israeli airstrikes hit the Sanaa airport in a rare daytime attack that destroyed the terminal and left craters in its runway. At least six passenger planes were hit, including three belonging to Yemenia Airways, according to airport authorities.

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Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Metz from Jerusalem. Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.