Israel confirmed on Thursday that it carried out an attack on a Houthi target in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, marking the second such strike in less than a week. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the Houthis are operating under Iran’s direction, aiming to harm Israel and its allies. The IDF also emphasized that the Houthis are undermining regional stability and disrupting global freedom of navigation. This incident occurred during a speech by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi, as reported by YNet.
In a related development, the Houthis escalated their attacks on shipping routes in the Red Sea, prompting calls for international support. Trump urged aid for Yemen’s anti-Houthi forces as the conflict threatens global trade. Israel’s response to the latest attacks came after intercepting two drones from Yemen. The strike followed a similar attack on Monday, which killed six people and wounded 86 others, according to Reuters.
The conflict between Israel and the Houthis has been escalating for nearly two years. The Iran-backed terror force threatened to strike Israel just days after Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre. In the weeks following the attacks, the Houthis launched missiles and drones at Israel, which were intercepted by U.S. forces aboard the USS Carney. Since then, Israel has conducted multiple airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, including the Hodeidah port. The Houthis have continued their attacks, with Reuters reporting that they fired a ballistic missile at Israel on Aug. 22 in solidarity with Gaza.