Tel Aviv: The Israeli Air Force carried out strikes on Yemen’s Houthi-held capital of Sanaa on Sunday, in response to the Iran-backed group’s repeated attacks on Israel.
According to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), the strikes came after it was found that the Houthis – for the first time – had used a projectile with a cluster bomb warhead. In a statement, the IDF said the strikes on Sunday on Sanaa targeted a military compound where Yemen’s presidential palace is located, a fuel depot, and two power stations.
The strikes were in response to the Houthis’ ballistic missile and explosive drone attacks on Israel. The last such attack was carried out on Friday.
According to the IDF, the Yemeni presidential palace in Sanaa is “located within a military site from which the military operations of the Houthi terrorist regime forces are conducted.” Local media in Sanaa reported that the palace had been abandoned for years.
The two power plants that were targeted “served as a significant electricity supply facility for military activities,” the IDF said, adding: “The Houthis’ use of the plants constitutes further proof of how the Houthi regime uses civilian infrastructure for military purposes.”
The strikes involved around a dozen Israeli Air Force aircraft, including fighter jets and refuelers. Multiple refueling operations were carried out during the lengthy flight to and from Yemen.
Some 35 munitions were dropped on the four targets, according to the IDF.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, defence minister Israel Katz, and IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir observed the strike from the command centre at the military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Sunday’s strike marked the 15th time that Israel has attacked the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, located some 1,800 kilometres (1,100 miles) away. Most strikes were airborne, save for two, when Israeli Navy missile boats were used.
Over the past week, the Houthis have launched two ballistic missiles and at least one drone at Israel. The ballistic missile that the Houthis launched against Israel on Friday was not intercepted. It was claimed by the Israelis that the missile’s warhead broke up in the air during its descent, deploying several sub-munitions. One munition struck the yard of a home in the central town of Ginaton, causing slight damage.
The munitions do not have their own propulsion or guidance and simply fall to the ground, where they are designed to explode on impact.
The military said that the failure to intercept the projectile was under investigation and that it was unrelated to the type of warhead the missile was carrying. The Israeli Air Force had launched interceptor missiles in an attempt to shoot down the smaller fragments falling down.
“The air defence systems, with an emphasis on the upper layer, are capable of dealing with and intercepting such missiles, as they have intercepted in the past,” the IDF said.
Iran launched ballistic missiles with cluster bomb warheads at Israel at least twice during the 12-day war in June. The Israeli Air Force failed to intercept those. The Houthis in Yemen are supplied by Iran.
Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 71 ballistic missiles and at least 23 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.
