Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, killing at least two people and injuring 35 others, according to Houthi-controlled health authorities. The attacks targeted multiple sites across the city, including the Oil Company Station operated by the Houthi-controlled Yemeni Petroleum Company. Emergency crews warned that the death toll could rise as more victims are being rushed to hospitals.

Fires broke out in several areas following the bombings, prompting a massive firefighting operation in the southern and western parts of Sanaa, the Yemeni civil defense authority confirmed. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that the strikes aimed at key facilities such as the presidential palace, the Asar and Hizaz power plants, and a fuel storage depot, which were allegedly being used for military purposes.

According to Israeli state-owned Kan TV, 14 warplanes participated in the mission, dropping nearly 40 bombs across targeted locations. Meanwhile, the Houthi group condemned the attacks as “brutal aggression” against civilian infrastructure and accused both Israel and the United States of committing what it described as a “heinous crime.”

The strikes follow a recent escalation in hostilities after Houthi forces fired a hypersonic ballistic missile at Tel Aviv two days earlier, causing property damage but no fatalities. The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, including Sanaa and Hodeidah port, have repeatedly launched attacks on Israel since November 2023 in support of Palestinians in Gaza, prompting Israeli retaliatory strikes on Houthi-held territories.