People search for survivors at a site after it was struck by Israel in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sept. 25, 2025. The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Yemen's capital Sanaa on Thursday rose to eight, with 142 others wounded, Houthi-run health authorities said, adding that rescue teams were still searching for survivors under the rubble. (Houthi Media Center/Handout via Xinhua)
SANAA, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Yemen's capital Sanaa on Thursday rose to eight, with 142 others wounded, Houthi-run health authorities said, adding that rescue teams were still searching for survivors under the rubble.
Al-Masirah TV, run by the Houthis, said the strikes hit the Dhahban power station, the presidential palace complex, the General Security camp and two residential neighbourhoods.
Eyewitnesses reported thick black smoke rising as fighter jets roared overhead. Many residents rushed to open windows, fearing pressure waves from the blasts would shatter glass. Local sources said Sanaa has no air defences capable of intercepting Israeli jets and no underground shelters for civilians.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the air force struck several military sites, including a Houthi General Staff camp, destroying stockpiles of drones and weapons. He said "dozens" of Houthi fighters were killed. "As I promised yesterday, whoever harms us will be harmed sevenfold," Katz said.
Katz said the strikes were retaliation for a drone attack on Wednesday in the southern Israeli resort city of Eilat that wounded at least 20 people, two of them seriously. Israel's Kan TV reported that about 15 fighter jets took part, dropping some 65 bombs.
The Israeli military said an initial investigation showed the Houthi drone was detected late and attempts to intercept it with the Iron Dome system failed. "Corrective measures were implemented," it said.
In New York, Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, told the UN General Assembly the international community should take "decisive steps" to back the internationally recognized government and help rebuild state institutions.
Yemen has been at war since 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year. The conflict has left millions facing hunger and shortages of basic services.
Israel began airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in 2024 in response to missile and drone attacks launched at its territory. The Houthis say their attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and have escalated them since Israel killed senior Houthi officials in Sanaa in August. ■
A man inspects his house after an Israeli attack struck a residential area in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sept. 25, 2025. The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Yemen's capital Sanaa on Thursday rose to eight, with 142 others wounded, Houthi-run health authorities said, adding that rescue teams were still searching for survivors under the rubble. (Houthi Media Center/Handout via Xinhua)
People inspect a site after it was struck by Israel in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sept. 25, 2025. The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Yemen's capital Sanaa on Thursday rose to eight, with 142 others wounded, Houthi-run health authorities said, adding that rescue teams were still searching for survivors under the rubble. (Houthi Media Center/Handout via Xinhua)
