In largest strikes yet, IAF jets bomb Houthi military sites in Yemen after drone attack
IDF says 20 fighter jets dropped 65 munitions on military compounds, including top HQ, weapon depots; Katz says ‘many dozens of Houthi terror operatives’ killed
The Israeli Air Force carried out strikes on Thursday against Houthi military sites in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, in response to the Iran-backed group’s repeated attacks on Israel, including a drone attack on Eilat a day prior.
The Israel Defense Forces said it struck seven targets belonging to the Houthis’ “security and intelligence apparatus” and army, including a top military headquarters. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the “powerful” strikes killed “many dozens of Houthi terror operatives, and destroyed stockpiles of UAVs and weaponry.”
The Houthis’ Al-Masirah television reported that the “Israeli aggression” on Sanaa came moments before it began broadcasting a weekly pre-recorded speech by the terror group’s leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.
It was unclear if casualties were caused in the strikes.
On Wednesday, the Houthis launched an explosive-laden drone that evaded Israeli air defenses and struck the resort city of Eilat in the south, wounding 22 people, including two men in serious condition. Israel vowed to respond to the attack, claimed by the Iran-backed group.
According to the military, dozens of Israeli Air Force aircraft, including some 20 fighter jets, along with spy planes and refuelers, participated in the strikes on Thursday.
Thursday’s strike marked the 19th time that Israel has attacked the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. Most of the strikes have been carried out by Israeli Air Force fighter jets and drones, though some have been conducted by Israeli Navy missile boats.
The 20 fighter jets dropped more than 65 munitions on the seven Houthi targets, marking the highest number of munitions used in a single IAF strike in Yemen, according to the military.
Aerial refueling was also conducted during the operation, during which the fighter jets flew approximately 2,200 kilometers (1,367 miles) to reach their targets in Sanaa.
In all, seven targets were struck, including five military headquarters where Houthi operatives were gathered, and two weapon storage facilities, the IDF said.
In a statement, the military said that the targets included a headquarters of the Houthis’ general staff; compounds belonging to security and intelligence apparatus; the headquarters of the Houthis’ propaganda department; and other military camps where weapons were stored and operatives were gathered.
The IDF said the Houthis’ security and intelligence apparatus “takes part in terror activities and directly contributes to military actions against the State of Israel that undermine stability in the Middle East” and is “also involved in repressing regime opponents through the use of political prisons and torture.”
The military camps that were struck “are used by the Houthi terror regime to store weapons and to plan and carry out terror attacks against the State of Israel,” the IDF added.
The IDF also vowed to “conduct additional offensive operations” against the Houthis “in the near future,” adding that it “remains determined to remove any threat posed to the civilians of the State of Israel, at whatever distance is required.”
Air Force fixes fault that led to failed interception in Eilat
Shortly after the strike in Yemen, the IDF announced that it had identified the issue that caused the Iron Dome short-range air defense system to fail to intercept the Houthi drone that struck Eilat a day earlier.
According to an Israeli Air Force investigation, the drone was detected relatively late, though the Home Front Command still activated sirens to warn civilians of the attack, “according to protocol,” the military said.
Attempts to intercept the drone with two Iron Dome missiles “were unsuccessful,” the IDF said, adding that “the reason for this was identified and corrective measures were implemented.”
Because of the late detection, the IAF did not have enough time to dispatch helicopters or fighter jets to shoot it down.
IAF chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, meanwhile, instructed “several additional steps to strengthen readiness, detection and interception capabilities” in the Eilat area, which will “provide an enhanced defensive response,” the military added.
The Houthis have frequently carried out attacks targeting Eilat, including the incident last week in which a drone struck a hotel entrance, causing damage but no injuries. That drone had been identified by the IAF, but attempts to intercept it failed, according to the military.
A Houthi attack earlier this month also hit Ramon Airport outside the city, causing damage and lightly wounding one person. That drone was detected, but was not classified as a threat due to a human error, an IAF probe found.
The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas massacre.
The Houthis held their fire when a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas in January 2025. By that point, they had fired over 40 ballistic missiles and dozens of attack drones and cruise missiles at Israel, including one that killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July 2024, prompting Israel’s first strike in Yemen.
Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched nearly 90 ballistic missiles and at least 41 drones at Israel. Since the beginning of the war, the Houthis have launched over 150 drones at Israel, the vast majority of which were intercepted.
Last month, an Israeli strike on Sanaa killed the prime minister of Yemen’s Houthi government and several other ministers, with Israel warning that the attack on the group’s upper echelons was “just the beginning.”
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