SANAA / ISTANBUL 

Israeli warplanes struck several sites in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, including the presidential palace and power plants, the army said on Sunday.

A military statement claimed that the strikes targeted Houthi infrastructure in Sanaa, including the Asar and Hizaz power plants, a site for storing fuel, and a military site in which the presidential palace is located.

Israel’s public broadcaster KAN said 14 fighter jets participated in the attack, dropping about 40 munitions on Sanaa.

The Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV confirmed the attacks, saying the strikes hit a facility of the Yemen Petroleum Company on the 60 Meters Road and the Haziz Central Power Station in the Sanhan district, south of Sanaa.

The Israeli Navy hit the same power plant in airstrikes on Sanaa on Aug. 18.

The channel, citing an official from the Houthi-run Defense Ministry, said the majority of Israeli aircraft have been neutralized and were forced to withdraw.

The broadcaster said civil defense teams were working to extinguish fires caused by the Israeli strikes in southern and western Sanaa.

The Houthi-run Health Ministry said that two people were killed and 35 others injured in the strikes.

The Israeli army claimed that Sunday’s strikes came in response to repeated Houthi attacks against Israel.

The military alleged that the Yemeni group used cluster munitions in Friday’s missile attack on Israel, for the first time since 2023.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched missile and drone strikes on Israeli targets and targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Arabian Sea in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 62,600 victims have been killed in the Israeli offensive.