Israel strikes Houthi targets in Yemen, hits power plant in capital city Sanaa after repeated missile attacks

The Israel Navy struck a power plant in the Houthi-controlled capital city of Sanaa in Yemen on Sunday morning, the IDF announced.

🎯STRUCK: A Houthi terrorist infrastructure site, 2,000 km away in Sanaa, Yemen.

The strike was in response to repeated Houthi missile & UAV attacks on Israel. Directed & funded by Iran, the Houthis exploit the seas to threaten Israel & global trade. pic.twitter.com/5T0eI35Qns

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 17, 2025

Reports from the local Al Masirah TV blamed explosions in the capital city on “aggression,” without blaming Israel. At least two separate explosions were reported near the Haziz power plant in the southern part of Sanaa.

An Israeli defense official told Army Radio that the strikes were carried out by missile boats from the Israel Navy, similar to the strike on the port of Hodeidah earlier this year.

Videos on social media showed flames and smoke coming from buildings in the area of the power plant.

Houthis on the Menu.

A major strike hit the Haziz power station south of Sanaa, Yemen pic.twitter.com/OsJIiKFFAv

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) August 17, 2025

A civil defense official told Al Masirah that the strikes forced the power plant to go offline while teams were working to put out the fires.

Hezam al-Asad, a member of the Ansar Allah political bureau, wrote a message on 𝕏 after the strikes: "A criminal and bankrupt enemy, targeting only service facilities and civilian properties: electricity, water…"

The strike on the Haziz power plant represents the 14th time that Israel has struck Houthi targets in Yemen since the start of the war. Most of those strikes have been carried out by Israeli Air Force (IAF)fighter jets, which must be refueled in mid-air during the more than 2,000 km (approx. 1,285 miles) flight to Sanaa over the Red Sea.

The previous IAF strike in July was carried out by a drone, marking the first use of an explosive drone against the Houthis since the start of Israel’s retaliatory strikes in Yemen. Since that strike, the Houthis have launched around seven ballistic missiles and several drones towards Israel, all of which were successfully intercepted.

The most recent Houthi ballistic missile launch took place on Thursday morning, and was intercepted by Israeli air defense systems.