Israeli warplanes struck Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on August 24, following the first-ever Houthi-launched cluster munition directed at Israeli territory. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the missiles hit a military compound adjacent to the presidential palace, two major power plants—Asar and Hizaz and a fuel storage depot facilities they described as instrumental to the Houthis’ military operations. The Houthis, aligned with Iran and long active in launching drones and missiles at Israel in solidarity with Gaza, had earlier fired a missile containing submunitions—a cluster warhead designed to scatter multiple bomblets, a capability Israel assessed as a “new threat” enabled by advanced Iranian support.
Witnesses in Sanaa recounted hearing deafening explosions near the presidential palace, with smoke rising close to Sabeen Square. Damage was reported at nearby energy facilities; the Houthi-run health ministry confirmed at least two fatalities and around five injuries, though other reports suggested up to 35 wounded in the broader area. In response, a senior IDF spokesman noted that the interception failure leading to ground debris was unrelated to the missile’s cluster composition.
This strike marks another chapter in the expanding conflict that has drawn in Yemen due to the ongoing Gaza war from October 2023. The Israel-Houthi exchanges have increasingly spilled over border boundaries, with both parties amplifying their military postures, Houthi attacks at sea and against Israeli infrastructure, and Israel targeting ports, airports, and energy installations in Yemen.
