Death toll rises to 46 in Israeli raids on Yemen

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — An Israeli Air Force member marshals an F-35I Adir to its spot after a Red Flag-Nellis 23-2 mission at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, March 16, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Trevor Bell via DVIDS)

Yemen's Houthi-run Health Ministry said on Thursday the number of casualties in Israel's Wednesday attacks rose to 46 people killed and 165 wounded.

Israel struck the Yemeni capital Sanaa and the northern province of al-Jawf, the latest in a series of attacks and counterstrikes between Israel and the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, part of a spillover from the war in Gaza. 

The attack followed an August 30 strike on Sanaa that killed the prime minister of the Houthi-run government and several ministers, in the first such assault to target senior officials.

"The strikes were carried out in response to attacks led by the Houthi terror regime against the State of Israel, during which unmanned aerial vehicles and surface-to-surface missiles were launched toward Israeli territory," the Israeli military said.

Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli military said it intercepted two launches from Yemen, a missile and a drone, operations the Houthis claimed responsibility for later.

The group's military spokesperson said the operation was also "within the framework of responding to the Israeli aggression against our country."

Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, have attacked vessels in the Red Sea in what they describe as acts of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.

They have also fired missiles towards Israel, most of which have been intercepted. Israel has responded with strikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, including the vital Hodeidah port.

(Reporting by Ahmed Tolba and Enas Alashray; Editing by Rod Nickel // REUTERS)