The IDF launched a major air operation Thursday night against Houthi targets in Sanaa, Yemen, striking more than ten sites in the heart of the Iran-backed group’s stronghold.

“The IDF is operating decisively against the Houthi terrorist regime, while simultaneously intensifying strikes against the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza, and will continue to act to remove any threat to the citizens of the State of Israel,” the army said in a statement.

The IDF accused the Houthis of working under Iranian direction and funding since the outbreak of the war, destabilizing the region and disrupting global shipping lanes.

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz issued an ominous warning: “As we warned the Houthis in Yemen: after the plague of darkness comes the plague of the firstborn. Whoever raises a hand against Israel—his hand will be cut off.”

According to Arabic media, Israeli Air Force jets carried out precision strikes on multiple targets in the Houthi capital. An Israeli security source told Kan News the operation targeted a gathering of senior Houthi officials, who were believed to be assembled to watch a speech by the group’s leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.

Yemeni military sources told the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen network that the strikes caused no casualties among top officials, vowing that “the hands of the Yemeni people will yet reach the Zionist war criminals.” Israeli security officials, however, described the attack as a major rapid operation enabled by precise intelligence, hitting multiple sites within minutes. The results are still under assessment.

The strikes followed a series of aerial threats from Yemen. Earlier Thursday, the Israeli Air Force intercepted two drones launched by the Houthis that triggered air-raid sirens in southern border communities, including Bnei Netzarim and Naveh, near the Egyptian frontier.

“Following the hostile aircraft infiltration sirens that sounded a short while ago in the communities near the Gaza Strip, a UAV launched from Yemen was successfully intercepted by the IAF,” the military confirmed, noting there were no reports of injuries or damage. A second drone was downed about 90 minutes later before it reached Israeli territory.

On Wednesday, air-raid sirens sounded across central Israel, including in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh, as the IDF intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen — one of more than 70 missiles and 20 drones the Houthis have launched at Israel since the October 7 Hamas invasion ignited the war.

The strikes marked the second major Israeli operation in Yemen this week. On Sunday, the IDF targeted military sites in both Sanaa and Hodeidah after the Houthis fired a cluster warhead missile at Israel, the first of its kind used against the Jewish state. The warhead split into 22 bomblets mid-air, scattering fragments near homes but causing no casualties.

Israeli officials said the Houthis’ use of advanced Iranian weaponry underscores the growing regional stakes. With Hamas under fire in Gaza and Hezbollah engaged in cross-border clashes from Lebanon, Israel now faces a multi-front campaign that extends more than 1,200 miles south to Yemen.

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