Airstrikes target Yemen's rebel-held capital after Houthi attack targets Israel

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A series of intense airstrikes shook Yemen's rebel-held capital and a port city early Thursday, shortly after a Houthi missile targeted central Israel.

It wasn't immediately clear who launched the strikes on Sanaa, which the Iranian-backed Houthis have held for over a decade. The Houthis also reported strikes in Hodeida as well.

Houthi-controlled media reported the strikes, but offered no immediate information on casualties nor damage. The Houthi-controlled satellite channel al-Masirah described some of the strikes as targeting power stations in the capital.

American forces have launched a series of strikes on the Houthis over nearly a year due to Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea corridor. On Monday, the U.S. military's Central Command said it hit “a key command-and-control facility" operated by the Houthis in Sanaa, later identified as the al-Ardi complex once home to the government's Defense Ministry.

But on Thursday, a U.S. military official said the attacks weren’t carried out by the Americans, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing strikes.

The strikes happened just after the Israeli military said its air force intercepted a missile launched from Yemen before it entered the country's territory.

“Rocket and missile sirens were sounded following the possibility of falling debris from the interception,” the Israeli military said. Sirens sounded near Tel Aviv and the surrounding areas, and a large explosion was heard overhead at the time.

The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment. Israel has struck the Houthis in the past over attacks targeting Israel and in recent weeks have threatened to again attack the rebels.

The Houthis have targeted some 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023 after Hamas' surprise attack on Israel.

The Houthis have seized one vessel and sunk two in a campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by separate U.S.- and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have also included Western military vessels.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.