Israeli forces unleashed a series of deadly strikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa and the western city of Hodeidah on Thursday, according to Houthi-run media, killing at least four people and injuring more than a dozen others.

JERUSALEM (AP) — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen on Thursday targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and multiple ports, while the World Health Organization’s director-general said the bombardment occurred nearby as he prepared to board a flight in Sanaa, with a crew member injured.

The strikes were in response to previous Houthi missile and drone attacks on Israel, which have escalated in recent weeks.View on euronews

Yemen-based Houthis — the last of Iran-backed groups still fully present in the regional war that began 14 months ago — are slowly escalating attacks on Israel with an eye to avoid full-out retaliation.

Israeli forces on Thursday launched a massive barrage of strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen in the latest exchange of attacks between Israel and the Iranian-backed rebel group. The Israeli military said in a statement on the social platform X that fighter jets struck military targets on the western coast of Yemen.

The Yemen-based Houthi militant group said Wednesday it fired a ballistic missile at the Tel Aviv area in central Israel, an attack that prompted air raid sirens to sound but caused no damage. Israel’s military said it intercepted the missile before it crossed into Israeli territory.