The Israeli military has bombed the Yemeni capital Sanaa, Israeli and Yemeni officials say, as tensions in the region continue to escalate amid Israel’s war on Gaza.
The Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV said the attack on Sunday targeted an oil facility and a power plant in Sanaa. Israel said it also targeted a presidential palace in the Yemeni capital, which it claimed is located on a “military complex”.
At least 10 people were killed and 92 others were injured in the attacks, according to health officials.
“This crime adds to the series and criminal record of the Zionist enemy and to the systematic violations committed by the Israeli occupation forces against civilians and civilian objects in our Arab and Islamic nation,” Yemen’s health ministry said in a statement on Monday.
“These attacks constitute war crimes, as they directly targeted civilians and caused casualties, in addition to the destruction of civilian facilities unrelated to military objectives.”
The Israeli strikes came two days after the Houthis claimed a missile launch against Israel – part of a campaign that the Yemeni group says aims to pressure Israel to end its atrocities and siege in Gaza.
“The attacks were carried out in response to repeated attacks by the Houthi terrorist regime against the state of Israel and its citizens, including the launch of surface-to-surface missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles towards the country’s territory,” the Israeli military said.
Al Masirah cited a Houthi military official as saying that the group’s air defences were able to “neutralise most of the Israeli enemy aircraft participating in the aggression and forced them to leave”.
Following the attack, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz: “Today we bombed the presidential palace of the Houthis. For every missile they fire at Israel, the Houthis will pay compound interest.”
Katz vowed to bring “a plague of darkness and gloom” upon Yemen, even threatening to target its “firstborns” quoting from Jewish scripture.
His comments follow previous statements by Israeli officials calling for the total destruction of Palestinians and describing them as the biblical people of Amalek.
Footage verified by Al Jazeera showed plumes of fire and smoke rising above Sanaa after the Israeli strikes.
The Houthis were quick to reiterate on Sunday that the Israeli attacks will not deter the group’s military operations in support of Palestinians.
“The Israeli aggression against Yemen will not discourage us from continuing our support for Gaza, no matter the sacrifices,” Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said in a statement.
“The issue is settled for us: either eternity in heaven or eternity in hell.”
Abed al-Thawr, an official in the Houthi Defence Ministry, said Israel’s claims that it attacked military targets on Sunday are “lies”. He said Israel bombed civilian infrastructure to make Yemenis suffer.
Al-Thawr told Al Jazeera that the presidential palace hit on Sunday has long been deserted. “So, what Israel is doing is barbarism,” he said.
The Houthi-dominated Government of Change and Reconstruction in Sanaa also called the Israeli attack a “war crime” that aims to hurt Yemenis and create a “fake victory” by showing columns of smoke above Sanaa.
“The aggression proves that the Israeli enemy, with American support, is waging an open war against the Arab and Muslim nation,” it said in a statement.
Hamas also condemned the Israeli strikes on Yemen, calling them “a blatant violation of Arab sovereignty and international law”.
In a statement on Sunday, the Palestinian group said Israel’s “fascist aggression” was aimed at deterring Yemen from backing Palestinians.
Hamas praised the Houthis’ stance, describing it as “courageous”, and called on “all Arab and Muslim countries, and all free forces” to join what it called a collective effort to end the occupation.
Israel has been bombing Yemeni power plants and ports for a month. But Sunday’s attack came shortly after the Israeli navy struck a power station in Sanaa last week.
On Friday, the Houthis said they launched a hypersonic missile and two drones at Israel, vowing to stand with Palestinians “until the aggression against Gaza stops and the siege is lifted”.
