Israeli airstrikes on Yemen kill at least 35 people, Houthi officials say

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Israel carried out another round of heavy airstrikes in Yemen on Wednesday, days after Houthi terrorists launched a drone attack that struck an Israeli airport. At least 35 people were killed and more than 130 were wounded, the Houthi-run health ministry said.

Most of those killed were in Sanaa, the capital, where a military headquarters and a fuel station were among the sites hit, the health ministry said. Search crews were continuing to dig through the rubble.

Al-Masirah, a Houthi-controlled satellite news channel, said one of the strikes on Yemen hit a military headquarters building in central Sanaa. Neighboring houses were also damaged, it reported.

Israel has previously launched waves of airstrikes in response to the Houthis’ firing missiles and drones at Israel. The Iran-backed Houthis say they are supporting Hamas and the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and on Sunday, they sent a drone that breached Israel’s multilayered air defenses and slammed into the country’s southern airport.

Israel’s strikes in Yemen followed earlier attacks that killed the Houthi prime minister and other top officials in a major escalation of the nearly 2-year-old conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group.

The strikes on Wednesday hit a station that provides fuel to hospitals in the capital, Essam al-Mutawakel, spokesman for rebel-run Yemen Petroleum Company, told the Al-Masirah news channel. Residents said they heard violent explosions in multiple areas of the city, with fire and smoke in the skies.

The Houthi media office said Israel also hit a government facility in the strategic city of Hazm, the capital of northern Jawf province. Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said rebels fired surface-to-air missiles at the Israeli fighter jets.

Houthi-backed President Mahdi al-Mashat vowed on Wednesday to continue the attacks, warning Israelis to “stay alarmed since the response is coming without fail.”

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This story has been updated with the latest death toll.