Death toll from Israeli strikes on Yemen’s capital rises to 10, authorities say

CAIRO (AP) — The death toll from Israel’s latest airstrikes on Yemen’s rebel-held capital has risen to 10, health authorities said Monday.

Multiple strikes rocked Sanaa on Sunday, days after the Iranian-backed Houthis fired a missile towards Israel that its military described as the first cluster bomb the rebels had launched at it since 2023.

The Israeli strikes hit a facility owned by Yemen’s main oil company, which is controlled by the Houthis, along with a power plant and a military site in an area where the presidential palace is located, according to the Houthis and Israel’s military. A fireball and plume of thick smoke rose above the city.

Anees al-Asbahi, a spokesman for the Houthi-run Health Ministry, said in a statement that 10 people were killed in the strikes on the oil facility and power planet.

He said the strikes wounded 102 others, including seven children and three women. Twenty-one were in critical condition, he said.

The strikes came after the rebels launched a missile last week towards Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. There was no reported damage or injuries. Israel’s military said the missile fragmented mid-air after several interception attempts.

The Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea throughout Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The rebels say their attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians.

In response to the Houthi attacks, Israel and a United States-led coalition bombarded rebel-held areas in Yemen, including Sanaa and the strategic coastal city of Hodeida. Israeli strikes knocked the Sanaa airport out of service in May.

The Trump administration in May announced a deal with the Houthis to end the airstrikes in return for an end to attacks on shipping. The rebels, however, said the agreement did not include halting attacks on targets it believed were aligned with Israel.