Israeli strikes on Yemen's Houthi rebels damage residential homes,
forcing families to live in ruins
[September 13, 2025]
By AHMED AL-HAJ
ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Israel's deadly airstrikes this week targeting
Iran-backed rebels in Yemen have damaged residential areas in the
country's capital of Sanaa, leaving many houses in ruins and residents
without help from authorities and unable to afford repairs on their own.
Wednesday’s strikes killed 46 people — including 11 women and five
children — and wounded 165, according to a toll released late Thursday
by the rebel-run health ministry in Sanaa. Most of the casualties were
in Sanaa. Rebel officials said 11 local journalists were also killed in
the strikes.
The strikes followed a drone launched by the Houthi rebels that breached
Israel’s multilayered air defenses and slammed into a southern Israeli
airport, blowing out glass windows and injuring one person.
In Yemen, a military headquarters and a Sanaa fuel station were also
hit, the rebels said previously, as well as a government facility in the
city of Hazm, the capital of northern Jawf province. The National Museum
of Yemen was also damaged, according to the rebels’ culture ministry,
with footage from the site showings damage to the building’s façade.
In Sanaa, where Yemen's yearslong civil war has impoverished many,
residents told The Associated Press they cannot afford any major repairs
and that the local authorities are not offering compensation or help
with reconstruction.
Dozens of homes in Sanaa’s central Tahrir area were damaged. One of the
residents from there, Um Talal, said she has no faith the authorities
will help repair the house where she lives with her daughter and two
sons.
The airstrikes knocked out their living room walls and damaged the
kitchen, leaving dirt, debris and rubble, speaking to The Associated
Press over the phone.
“Everything was lost in the blink of an eye," she said. “Authorities
haven’t even called us to this day. ”
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Two Yemeni men inspect the rubble of a house that was destroyed in
Wednesday's Israeli airstrikes, in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, Sept. 13,
2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
Despite the destruction, she said the family will fix what they can
and continue living in their home.
Another resident, Ahmed al-Wasabi, said he and his family — luckily
— were not home when one of the airstrikes partially destroyed their
house.
“The explosions terrified people who went running and children and
women were crying and screaming,” said Khaled al-Dabeai, a grocery
shop owner who added that the force of the explosions knocked
products off his shelves.
Israel has previously launched waves of airstrikes in response to
the Houthis’ firing missiles and drones at Israel. The Houthis say
they are supporting Hamas and the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
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.
Houthi leader Mahdi al-Mashat vowed on Wednesday to continue the
attacks, warning Israelis to “stay alarmed since the response is
coming for sure.”
___
Associated Press writer Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this
report.
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