Sanaa/Jerusalem: Israel launched airstrikes on Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Thursday, the media reported citing officials and local residents who heard a series of loud explosions.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed the airstrikes in a statement, while Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news reported that the airstrikes were aimed at Houthi leaders, without disclosing their identity, Xinhua news agency reported.
The strikes came a few hours after the Israeli military said it intercepted two drones fired from Yemen.
The first drone entered Israeli airspace at noon, triggered air raid sirens, and was then intercepted by Israeli air force over communities near Gaza, while the second, fired less than two hours later, was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory, the military said in a statement.
No human casualties or material damage have been reported from the two drone launches. There was no immediate comment from Yemen’s Houthi group regarding the incidents.
The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, have carried out drone and missile attacks on Israel since November 2023 in what they describe as solidarity with Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Most of the projectiles have been intercepted by Israeli defenses.
Israel has responded with strikes on Houthi-held areas, targeting airports, power stations, and ports in Yemen’s capital Sanaa and the city of Hodeidah.
Earlier, Israel’s army said that the deadly double strike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital targeted a camera allegedly installed by Hamas, according to findings from an initial inquiry.
The double strike on Monday killed at least 20 people, including five journalists and several health workers, according to Gaza health authorities.
The Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis has been the last partially functional medical facility in southern Gaza, as Israel’s 22-month offensive has repeatedly struck hospitals across the enclave, leaving all of them either destroyed or partially damaged, Xinhua news agency reported.
In a statement, the military said that Golani Brigade troops identified the camera as positioned by Hamas in order “to observe the activity of IDF (Israel Defense Forces) troops” and to direct militant activities against them.
The military offered no evidence to support its claim but accused Hamas of using hospitals, including Nasser Hospital, for military purposes.
“The troops operated to remove the threat by striking and dismantling the camera and the inquiry showed that the troops operated to remove the threat,” the military said, without elaborating on why two strikes were needed to destroy one camera.
(IANS)
