Israeli Airstrikes Hit Houthi Targets in Sanaa After Missile Attacks
Israeli airstrikes hit Houthi targets in Sanaa, IDF says, retaliating for missile attacks. Strikes hit military sites, power plants, and a fuel depot. Houthi media reports 2 killed, 35 wounded.
Erbil (Kurdistan24) – Israel’s military announced on Sunday that it carried out a series of airstrikes against multiple sites controlled by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group in Sanaa, in retaliation for repeated missile and drone attacks launched by the rebels against Israel.
In a post on X, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strikes hit “multiple military targets belonging to the Houthi terrorist regime,” including a military compound near the presidential palace, the Adar and Hizaz power plants, and a fuel storage site. The IDF accused the Houthis of exploiting civilian infrastructure to sustain their military operations.
“These strikes were carried out in response to repeated Houthi attacks on Israel with missiles and UAVs,” the statement read, reiterating that Israel considers the Houthis part of Iran’s regional proxy network.
🎯STRUCK: Multiple military targets belonging to the Houthi terrorist regime in Sanaa, Yemen, including a military site in which the presidency palace is located, the Adar and Hizaz power plants, and a site for storing fuel—all used for the military activity of the Houthi regime.…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 24, 2025
According to the Houthi-run health ministry, at least two people were killed and 35 others wounded in the Israeli raid. AFP images captured a large fireball rising above Sanaa’s skyline, followed by a thick column of black smoke over the rebel-held capital.
A Houthi security source told AFP that a municipal building in central Sanaa was among the sites targeted, while Al-Masirah TV, affiliated with the group, reported that an oil company facility was also struck, resulting in the fatalities.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, the Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Israel, framing their actions as solidarity with the Palestinian people. While most of these attacks have been intercepted, they have triggered successive waves of Israeli retaliation inside Yemen.
The Houthis have also extended their campaign beyond Israel’s borders, targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, often claiming the ships were linked to Israel.
In January 2024, after the United States and Britain launched military operations to protect Red Sea shipping lanes, the Houthis expanded their attacks to include Western-linked vessels. The escalation prompted weeks of heavy U.S. strikes, which only subsided following a ceasefire agreement between Washington and the Houthis in May.
Despite that truce, the Houthis have vowed to continue targeting Israeli ships in regional waters.
Earlier this month, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that the Houthis would “pay with compound interest for every attempt to fire at Israel,” signaling an uncompromising response to continued threats.
Sunday’s strikes underline the growing regional dimension of the Gaza war, with Yemen’s Houthis playing an increasingly prominent role in Iran’s confrontation with Israel and its Western allies.
