Rocket Hits Tel Aviv: Yemen’s Houthi Conflict Escalates

Rocket Hits Tel Aviv: Yemen’s Houthi Conflict Escalates \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ A rocket fired from Yemen injured 30 people in Tel Aviv as Israeli-Houthi tensions escalate. Israeli airstrikes in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and Gaza left significant casualties, including children. The Houthis vow to continue strikes in solidarity with Gaza. International criticism of civilian deaths in Gaza intensifies amid ongoing hostilities.

Tel Aviv Strike and Middle East Tensions: Quick Looks

• Tel Aviv Attack: Rocket injures 30 as shattered glass and chaos follow the strike.
• Houthi Retaliation: Yemen’s Houthis claim hypersonic missile aimed at Israeli military target.
• Israeli Airstrikes: Bombardment of Houthi sites in Yemen and Gaza kills civilians, including children.
• Global Criticism: Israel faces backlash over civilian casualties in Gaza.
• Humanitarian Crisis: Hospitals in Gaza struggle amid shortages and evacuation orders.

Deep Look

A rocket fired from Yemen struck an area of Tel Aviv overnight, injuring 30 people and escalating already heightened tensions in the Middle East. The Israeli military reported that 16 individuals suffered injuries from shattered glass, while 14 others sustained minor injuries rushing to shelters during air raid sirens. The attack came just days after Israeli airstrikes targeted Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, intensifying the conflict between the Iran-backed rebels and Israel.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the strike via Telegram, stating that a hypersonic ballistic missile targeted an unspecified Israeli military site. The Israeli military, while investigating, acknowledged gaps in aerial defense, emphasizing that “aerial defense is not hermetic.”

Witness Accounts

Residents of the affected area described the chaos that ensued. “A flash of light, a blow, and we fell to the ground. Big mess, broken glasses all over the place,” recounted Bar Katz, a Tel Aviv resident living in a damaged building.

Hours later, Houthi-held Sanaa in Yemen came under heavy airstrikes by both Israeli and U.S. forces. The U.S. Central Command confirmed strikes on a Houthi missile storage facility and a command center. These strikes followed an earlier Israeli operation on Thursday that targeted Houthi strongholds, killing nine people.

Growing Houthi Engagement

The Houthis have launched over 200 missiles and drones toward Israel since the Gaza conflict began 14 months ago. Their attacks, often framed as solidarity with Palestinians, include a missile strike that hit a school in central Israel earlier in the week, as well as drone strikes on military targets. The rebels have also disrupted shipping routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, asserting they will persist until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

Israel’s retaliation has drawn international scrutiny. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric confirmed that Israeli airstrikes caused “considerable damage” to Houthi-controlled ports in Hodeida, a critical entry point for food supplies in Yemen, which has faced a devastating civil war for over a decade.

Civilian Toll in Gaza

Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have resulted in catastrophic civilian casualties. Overnight, strikes killed 19 Palestinians, including 12 children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. A residential building in Nuseirat refugee camp suffered a direct hit, killing seven individuals, five of them children. Another strike on a house in Gaza City killed 12 people, including seven children and two women.

Later in the day, additional airstrikes targeted a house in Nuseirat, killing four people, including two children, and wounding 14 others. Hospitals across Gaza reported receiving bodies and injured civilians from these relentless attacks, with explosions lighting up the night sky.

Since the conflict began in October 2023, more than 45,200 Palestinians have been killed, with over half reportedly women and children. International criticism of Israel’s military tactics has intensified, as the country continues to claim that it only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian casualties.

Gaza Hospitals Face Dire Conditions

Amid the escalating violence, hospitals in Gaza face severe challenges. Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya reported an evacuation order from the Israeli military late Saturday. The facility, which serves critical patients in northern Gaza, houses 66 individuals, including those in intensive care and maternity wards. The hospital’s director, Dr. Husam Abu Safiyeh, expressed concerns about transferring patients under fire, noting ongoing shortages of food, oxygen, water, and electricity.

The Israeli military denied awareness of strikes near the hospital but did not comment on the evacuation order. Aid groups have repeatedly voiced frustrations over difficulties in delivering supplies to affected areas due to military operations and armed groups hindering distribution.

Rising Regional Instability

Beyond Gaza and Yemen, violence has also spilled into Syria. Iran reported that an embassy staff member, Davood Bitaraf, was killed in Damascus by unidentified gunmen. Tehran accused “terrorists” of responsibility and demanded accountability from Syria’s interim government. The killing follows ongoing unrest in the region, further complicating an already volatile situation.

Conclusion

As the Middle East grapples with escalating violence, the humanitarian toll continues to mount. The Tel Aviv rocket strike underscores the expanding reach of the conflict, while devastating civilian losses in Gaza amplify calls for international intervention. With no ceasefire in sight, regional instability threatens to spiral further, leaving civilians in Gaza, Yemen, and beyond to bear the brunt of the violence.

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