Sana’a (South24 Center)

The Israeli Navy carried out missile strikes in the early hours of Sunday (August 17) targeting energy facilities in Sana'a, including the Haziz power station, in what Tel Aviv described as a direct response to repeated Houthi attacks against Israel.

#BREAKING
Israeli Army Radio: Navy launched dawn missile strike targeting power station in Sanaa, Yemen #south24pic.twitter.com/zdWM6xehXZ

— South24 | English (@South24E) August 17, 2025

The Israeli military stated the operation, conducted by missile boats approximately two thousand kilometers from Israeli shores, targeted energy infrastructure used by the Houthis for both military and civilian purposes. This marks the second naval strike of its kind against the Houthis and at least the fourteenth on Yemeni territory since November 2023, when the Iran-backed group began attacking Israel and Red Sea shipping lanes.

According to The Times of Israel, Israeli forces confirmed the bombardment followed persistent Houthi missile and drone attacks on Israel. The military asserted operations would continue resolutely to deter threats originating from Yemen.

For their part, the Houthis acknowledged through their Al-Masirah channel that Haziz station had been struck, calling the incident an "aggression" that disabled several generators. The channel initially did not identify the perpetrator but reported hearing two explosions south of the capital, with civil defense teams working to extinguish fires at the facility.

Senior Houthi official Hezam Al-Assad posted on X that the bankrupt Israeli enemy only targeted service facilities and civilian infrastructure, while Houthi media accused Israel of attempting to mislead public opinion by circulating old footage as documentation of the recent raid.

This escalation follows days after top Houthi leader Abdulmalik Al-Houthi announced targeting a ship in the northern Red Sea for allegedly violating the group's blockade. The Houthis had also claimed responsibility for four operations against Israeli targets using six drones and confirmed launching a hypersonic ballistic missile at Ben Gurion Airport.

The latest bombardment of Sana'a represents the first since May 7, when Israel struck Sana'a International Airport and several civilian-industrial facilities in retaliation for Houthi attacks focused particularly on Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.