CAIRO (AP) — Israeli airstrikes rocked the Yemeni capital, Sanaa on Thursday, hitting the seat of the Houthi rebel group's rule in Yemen, the Houthis and the Israeli military said.
The strikes hit the densely-populated southern and western areas of Sanaa. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
“It’s like an earthquake,” said Hussein Salem, a Sanaa resident. He saw plums of smoke over his neighborhood in the western side of Sanaa.
The strikes occurred as the Iranian-backed Houthis' satellite news channel was broadcasting a pre-recorded speech for the rebels’ top leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.
The Israeli military said it hit a Houthi “military target” in Sanaa whithout offering futher details.
Thursday's attack came after the Israeli military said early in the day that it intercepted a drone launched towards Israel by the rebels on Thursday, the third strike by Yemen on Israel in the past week.
Thursday's strikes followed Israeli airstrikes Sanaa on Sunday, killing at least 10 people. The Israeli strikes hit an oil facility owned by Yemen’s main oil company, which is controlled by the Houthis, a power plant and a military site in an area where the presidential palace is located, according to the Houthis and the Israeli military.
Tensions in the region were high Thursday as France, Germany and the United Kingdom started a process to reimpose U.N. sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.
The mechanism, known as “snapback,” could freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals, and put renewed sanctions on its ballistic missile program. It is designed to be veto-proof at the U.N. and is likely to go into effect.
Iran condemned the European nations' move as “unjustified, illegal, and lacking any legal basis."
The Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea throughout Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The rebels say their attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians.
In response to the Houthi attacks, Israel and a United States-led coalition pounded the rebels-held areas in Yemen, including Sanaa and the strategic coastal city of Hodeida, with heavy strikes for months. Israeli strikes knocked the Sanaa airport out of service in May.
The Trump administration announced a deal with the Houthis to end the airstrikes in return for an end to attacks on shipping in May. The rebels, however, said the agreement did not include halting attacks on targets it believed were aligned with Israel.
Samy Magdy, The Associated Press
