Israel intercepts missile fired from Yemen after deadly Sanaa strikes

SANAA: Israel’s army said it had intercepted a missile on Thursday fired from Yemen, a day after Israeli forces carried out air strikes there that killed 35 people and wounded more than 130.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the missile attack on Israel.

But the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Israel since their Palestinian ally Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel sparked the Gaza war.

“Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted,” Israel’s army said on Telegram.

Israel intercepts missile fired from Yemen

The Houthi armed forces’ media operation in Sanaa, the rebel-held capital, was hit by Israel Wednesday, along with a Houthi complex in Jawf province, the group said.

Thirty-five people died and 131 were wounded, Houthi health ministry spokesman Anees Alasbahi posted on X, adding it was not a final toll.

The toll included 28 dead and 113 wounded in Sanaa, and seven dead and 18 wounded in Jawf, which borders Saudi Arabia, Alasbahi said.

It came after Houthis’ prime minister Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, nine ministers and two cabinet officials were killed as they attended a government meeting in the Sanaa area last month

High-profile assassinations

The killings were the most high-profile assassinations of Houthi officials during nearly two years of hostilities with Israel over the Gaza war.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said journalists working for the September 26 and al-Yaman newspapers were among those killed Wednesday at the “Moral Guidance Headquarters” in Sanaa.

The Israeli military also said it struck the armed forces’ media operations, among other facilities.

The targets included “military camps in which operatives of the terrorist regime were identified, the Houthis’ military public relations headquarters and a fuel storage facility that was used by the terrorist regime”, an Israeli military statement said.

The Houthis’ Al-Masirah television said the strikes in Jawf hit a Central Bank branch building in the city of Al-Hazm, wounding employees.

The Houthis said they fought back with air defences, without giving details.

On Sunday, a drone launched from Yemen struck Ramon airport in southern Israel, wounding one person.

Since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023, the Houthis have launched repeated drone and missile attacks against Israel.

In response, Israel has carried out rounds of retaliatory strikes in Yemen, mainly targeting infrastructure such as ports, power stations and the international airport in Sanaa.