Nine dead in Israeli strikes on rebel-held Yemen

Israeli air strikes hit the media operation of Yemen's Houthi rebels on Wednesday, killed nine people and wounded more than 100 on Wednesday.

A large plume of grey smoke billowed above Sanaa as the sound of strikes echoed across the city, controlled by the Iran-backed Houthis for more than a decade.

"Martyrs, wounded, and several homes damaged as a result of the Israeli attack on the Moral Guidance Headquarters," the rebels' Al-Masirah TV reported.

The Houthi armed forces' media operation in Sanaa, the rebel-held capital, was hit in the attacks, along with a Huthi complex in Jawf province, the group said.

Nine people died and 118 were wounded, Houthi health ministry spokesman Anees Alasbahi posted on X. "Civil defence, ambulances and rescue teams are still searching for the missing," he added.

The toll included seven dead and 100 wounded at the media building in Sanaa, and two dead and 20 wounded in Jawf, which borders Saudi Arabia, Alasbahi said.

The Israeli military said it struck Houthi rebel targets in Yemen, including in Sanaa, in the latest of a series of attacks during the Gaza war.

"A short while ago, the IAF (Israeli air force) struck military targets belonging to the Huthi terrorist regime in the areas of Sanaa and Al-Jawf in Yemen," an Israeli military statement said.

It said the targets included "military camps in which operatives of the terrorist regime were identified, the Houthi's military public relations headquarters and a fuel storage facility that was used by the terrorist regime".

The Houthis said they were fighting back with air defences.

"Our air defences are currently confronting Israeli aircraft that are launching an aggression against our country," said Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree on his Telegram channel.

According to AFP news agency, a building used by the armed forces was hit.

Al-Masirah also reported Israeli strikes on government buildings in Al-Jawf, a northern province bordering Saudi Arabia.

The latest attack comes days after a drone launched from Yemen wounded a man when it struck Ramon airport in southern Israel.

Last month, Israeli strikes killed the Houthi prime minister and 11 other senior officials -- the most high-ranking assassinations since Israel and the Houthis began exchanging fire over the Gaza war.

Since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023, the Houthis have launched repeated drone and missile attacks against Israel claiming solidarity with the Palestinians.

Israel has carried out repeated rounds of retaliatory strikes in Yemen, targeting ports, power stations and the international airport in Sanaa.