Aden (South24 Center)

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The city of Sanaa and Al-Jawf province in North Yemen were rocked late Wednesday (September 10) by heavy Israeli airstrikes targeting multiple sites, triggering powerful explosions and leaving around 165 people dead or wounded.

A local source told South24 Center that the strikes hit the Ministry of Defense complex in Al-‘Ardhi, while Houthi-affiliated media reported strikes on the Presidential Palace and Al-Hafa area east of Sanaa, as well as the Haziz power station in the south. 

Simultaneous strikes also hit the government compound in Al-Hazm district of Al-Jawf governorate.

The Israeli army said the operation targeted Houthi military camps, propaganda offices, and a fuel storage facility. Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the strikes, dubbed “Bells of Warning,” also hit the group’s finance and defense ministries, describing the operation as “another painful blow against the Houthi terrorist organization.”

Houthi official Hezam al-Asad said the raids struck civilian facilities and residential areas in Sanaa, calling them an attempt to manufacture a “false victory.” Footage circulated on social media showed massive explosions, while the group’s military spokesman claimed their air defenses engaged the attacking aircraft.

The Houthi-run Health Ministry said that Israeli airstrikes on Sanaa and Al-Jawf had left 35 people dead and 131 others wounded.

Sources told South24 that among those killed in the strikes on the Houthi-affiliated Moral Guidance Department were Yemeni journalists.

The escalation follows a series of Houthi attacks on Israel. On Sunday (September 7), a Houthi drone struck the arrivals hall of Ramon Airport near Eilat. On Monday (September 8), the Israeli military reported intercepting several drones launched from Yemen, downing three within half an hour.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday (September 9), an Israeli strike in Doha targeted a Hamas leadership meeting, killing at least five people, including the son of senior figure Khalil al-Hayya, according to sources. Other reports put the toll at six, including a Qatari security officer, with the fate of senior Hamas leaders unclear.

 The strike drew widespread Arab and European condemnation, with Qatar’s foreign minister calling it “state terrorism.”

U.S. President Donald Trump said Israel’s decision to strike Qatar was made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and not by him, adding that a unilateral attack on Qatar does not serve American or Israeli interests, and stressing that he was “not thrilled” about the operation.

The latest raids on Sanaa underscore the expanding cycle of action and retaliation between Israel and the Houthis, which has intensified since Thursday (August 28), when Houthi prime minister Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahwi and several ministers were killed in an Israeli strike in the capital.