Israeli airstrikes targeting Iran-backed Houthis rock Yemen's capital
[August 25, 2025]
By SAMY MAGDY, MELANIE LIDMAN and SAM METZ
CAIRO (AP) — Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen ’s capital on Sunday, days
after the Houthi rebels fired a missile toward Israel that its military
described as the first cluster bomb the rebels had launched at it since
2023.
The Iranian-backed Houthis said multiple areas across Sanaa were hit,
while the Houthi-run health ministry said at least six people were
killed and 86 others were wounded, seven of them in critical condition.
The rebels' Al-Masirah satellite television reported that a strike hit
an oil facility owned by the country's main oil company, which is
controlled by the rebels, and video on social media showed a fireball
erupting at the plant.
Israel’s military said it struck the Asar oil facility and the Hizaz
power plant, which it called “a significant electricity supply facility
for military activities,” along with a military site where the
presidential palace is located.
Sanaa residents told The Associated Press they heard explosions close to
a closed military academy and the presidential palace. They saw plumes
of smoke near Sabeen Square, a central gathering place in the capital.
“The sounds of explosions were very strong,” said Hussein Mohamed, who
lives close to the presidential palace.
Ahmed al-Mekhlafy said he felt the sheer force of the strikes. “The
house was rocked, and the windows were shattered,” he told the AP by
phone.
The Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted
ships in the Red Sea for over 22 months, saying they are attacking in
solidarity with Palestinians amid the war in Gaza.
Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthi media office, vowed to
continue attacks on Israel, writing on social media that “our military
operations supporting Gaza won’t stop, God willing, unless the
aggression is stopped, and the siege is lifted."
The Israeli strikes were the first to hit Yemen since a week ago, when
Israel said it targeted energy infrastructure it believed was used by
the rebels.
The latest strikes follow the Houthis' claim of launching a newly
equipped missile toward Israel on Friday, targeting the country’s
largest airport, Ben Gurion. There was no reported damage or injuries.
Israel’s military said it fragmented mid-air after several interception
attempts.
An Israeli Air Force official, speaking on condition of anonymity in
line with military regulations, called Friday's projectile a new threat
— a cluster munition, meant to detonate into multiple explosives on
impact.
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Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in
Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
The use of cluster bombs makes interception more difficult and
represents additional technology provided to the Houthis by Iran,
the official asserted.
The official also said over 10 Israeli fighter jets carried out
Sunday's strikes.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that Israel
continues to “impose an air and naval blockade,” without details.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in televised remarks that the
rebel group is “paying a heavy price for its aggression.”
Houthi attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the
Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of global goods passes each
year. From November 2023 to December 2024, the Houthis targeted more
than 100 commercial and naval ships with missiles and drones.
The rebels stopped the attacks during this year's brief ceasefire in
Gaza and later became the target of a weekslong airstrike campaign
ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump.
In May, the United States announced a deal with the Houthis to end
the airstrikes in return for an end to attacks on shipping, although
the rebels said the agreement did not include halting attacks on
targets it believed were aligned with Israel.
Last month, the Houthis said they would target merchant ships
belonging to any company that does business with Israeli ports,
regardless of nationality, as part of what they called a new phase
of operations against Israel.
In May, Israeli airstrikes hit the Sanaa airport in a rare daytime
attack that destroyed the terminal and left craters in its runway.
At least six passenger planes were hit, including three belonging to
Yemenia Airways, according to airport authorities.
___
Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Metz from Jerusalem.
Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates,
contributed to this report.
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