DOHA, August 24. /TASS/. The armed forces formed by the Houthis from the Ansar Allah rebel movement are ready to strike targets in Israel in response to the shelling of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, a source close to the Ansar Allah politburo told TASS.
"The Israeli enemy has attacked civilian facilities in Sanaa, resulting in civilian casualties and injuries. The Yemeni armed forces are ready to launch retaliatory strikes that will make the enemy regret its aggression against the Yemeni people," the source said, adding that the recent Israeli attack would not force the Houthis to stop operations in support of the people of the Gaza Strip.
On Sunday, the Ansar Allah-owned Al Masirah TV channel reported that Israel had launched air strikes on the energy facilities of Sanaa, which is under the control of the Houthis. The Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC) refueling station and the Haziz power plant were shelled. According to an Al Masirah source in the Houthi Defense Ministry, the rebel air defense forces repelled an attack by most of the Israeli Air Force aircraft, forcing them to leave Yemeni airspace. At least two people were killed and 35 others were injured in the attack.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, the military attacked the Houthi targets in the Sanaa area, including the presidential palace complex, two power plants and a fuel depot — all of them were used for military purposes.
After the escalation of the conflict in the Gaza Strip in 2023, the Houthis warned that they would shell Israel and would not allow ships associated with it to pass through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The attacks stopped after the introduction of a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave in mid-January.
However, after the breakdown of the truce in early March, the rebels resumed attacks on Israeli ships in the Red Sea, and attempts to attack targets on the territory of the Jewish state, including Ben Gurion airport.
In response, Israel has repeatedly attacked Houthi infrastructure facilities, including Sanaa Airport and ports on the Red Sea coast.