SANAA, Yemen/ISTANBUL

Houthi Chief of Staff Muhammad Abdul Karim Al-Ghamari said Friday that Israel's attacks on Yemen's capital of Sanaa "will not go unpunished," following claims of an assassination attempt against senior Houthi leaders, according to the Houthi-affiliated SABA news agency.

Ghamari said Israel's targeting of civilian neighborhoods in Sanaa would face retaliation.

He emphasized Yemen would not retreat from supporting the Gaza Strip, regardless of the "scale of targeting or sacrifices required." He characterized Israeli escalation in Gaza and Yemen as signs of failure, rather than strength, after nearly two years of attacks.

Ghamari praised Palestinians as heroes "preparing to inflict heavy losses" on Israeli forces while saluting Gaza residents' determination.

Israeli assassination claims

The Israeli military said Thursday it attempted to assassinate Ghamari and Houthi Defense Minister Mohammed al-Atifi in strikes on Sanaa. A statement claimed it tried to also eliminate other senior Houthi government leaders.

Israel said the operation targeted a high-level Houthi leadership meeting based on precise intelligence, receiving approval from political leaders and Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir.

But Houthi media official Nasruddin Amer denied the reports on the US social media company X, saying none of the news about targeting leaders in Sanaa was accurate.

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 nearly 63,000 people have been killed in an Israeli genocidal war.