The Israeli military has launched air strikes on the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, Al Masirah TV reported, adding that plumes of smoke were seen rising over the city following the attacks.

Thursday’s strikes were confirmed by an Israeli army spokesperson, who said forces used dozens of warplanes and air support units to target the alleged “command headquarters of the Houthi General Staff” and “compounds” of the group’s security and intelligence apparatus.

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Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz claimed the “powerful” strikes killed “dozens of Houthi terror operatives”, in a statement posted on X. But, according to the Houthi-affiliated media, two were killed and 48 were wounded in the attack.

The strikes notably come as Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi was giving a televised speech.

The headquarters of the “military propaganda department” and manned military camps storing weapons were among the Sanaa-based targets cited by the Israeli army, which said the strikes were in response to Houthi drone and missile attacks on Israel.

On Wednesday, the Houthis claimed a drone attack on a hotel in Israel’s Red Sea port city of Eilat, which followed a series of 12 strikes carried out by Israel against Yemen’s key port of Hodeidah.

In his speech on Thursday, al-Houthi accused Israel of “brutal aggression and genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza as the war there nears its second anniversary. “This week the US used its veto at the Security Council to block a resolution calling for a ceasefire and the lifting of Israeli restrictions,” he said, adding that the US position “only emboldens Israel to continue its crimes”.

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Al-Houthi also praised Palestinian factions for what he described as “heroic operations” against Israeli forces, “despite their very limited means”.

Citing residents in Sanaa, the Reuters news agency reported that Israel’s latest strikes were directed at areas in the south and west of the capital.

Israeli strikes on the war-torn country happen regularly and are usually devastating, targeting civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings and the main international airport, while killing dozens at a time.

Earlier this month, Israeli strikes on Sanaa and the northern province of al-Jawf killed more than 40 people, including journalists and children.

Since Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, the Houthis have carried out drone and missile attacks against Israel, saying that they have been conducted in solidarity with Palestinians under fire and that their attacks will stop only when there is a permanent ceasefire in the enclave. They have also targeted vessels in the Red Sea.

Houthi attacks on vessels and cargo ships have also led to strikes from the United States and the United Kingdom.