At least eleven people have lost their lives and more than 205 others have sustained injuries when the Israeli military bombed the Yemeni capital Sana’a, Yemeni on Friday, officials say, as tensions in the West Asia region continue to escalate amid Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Yemen’s al-Masirah television channel said the attack last Thursday targeted residential neighbourhoods, civilian facilities, as well as critical infrastructure across the capital.
The Yemeni Ministry of Public Health and Population announced in a statement on Friday that there were two women and four children among the fatalities.
At least 174 individuals, including 35 women and 59 children, suffered injuries as well.
The ministry noted that the number of casualties is expected to rise as rescue teams and paramedics continue to search for victims beneath the rubble.
In light of the worsening genocidal war in Gaza that started in October 2023, Yemeni forces executed a strategic maritime blockade intended to obstruct the delivery of military resources to Israel while urging the global community to address the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Concurrently, they conducted multiple missile and drone attacks on key targets located in the Israeli-occupied regions, demonstrating their support for the Palestinians in Gaza.
In one of the latest operations against Israel, the Yemeni forces launched a drone operation against Eilat last Wednesday, calling it ‘a qualitative military operation using two drones targeting two Israeli enemy targets’.
More than 20 Israeli settlers were injured – two of them seriously – in the operation.
The Yemeni Armed Forces have stated unequivocally that they will continue their operations until Israel puts an end to its ground and aerial assaults in Gaza.
Israel has killed at least 65,502 Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip since October 2023, according to the health ministry of Gaza.
Rescuers say at least 20 people have been injured in southern Israel after the Israeli military said a drone was launched from Yemen.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said the drone struck the resort town of Eilat on the Red Sea coast, with attempts made to intercept it.
The Magen David Adom emergency medical service said 20 people were taken to Yoseftal Hospital – including two men with serious limb injuries.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the strike following the attack.
A spokesman for the group, Yahya Sarea, said two drones targeted two ‘Israeli enemy targets’ in a ‘successful’ operation.
Israeli TV stations broadcast live footage of the drone strike and the area it hit, which showed billowing smoke rising from the site.
Footage posted on social media shows a drone in the sky disappearing out of view as it flies down behind buildings. A few moments later, birds scatter as they fly up into the sky.
‘IDF troops, alongside the Israel police, were dispatched to the area of Eilat after receiving a report of a UAV attack,’ the IDF said in a statement.
It added troops and the police were assisting in evacuating the area and a helicopter had been deployed to evacuate the wounded from the scene.
The army earlier said air raid sirens had rung through the town.
The attack is one of the most serious launched by the Houthis in terms of casualties.
In July 2024, one person was killed and 10 injured in a Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv when a drone hit an apartment building near the US embassy branch office.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has vowed to block efforts to ban the Israeli football team from the 2026 Men’s World Cup, after the United Nations called on football governing bodies to suspend the team from their competitions.
Four members of the UN’s Human Rights Council issued a statement on Tuesday calling for the suspension of Israel from international competition due to what it described as an ‘unfolding genocide’ in Gaza.
The statement read: ‘Sporting bodies must not turn a blind eye to grave human rights violations, especially when their platforms are used to normalise injustices.
‘National teams representing states that commit massive human rights violations can and should be suspended,’ the UN rights body said, describing FIFA’s current approach as: ‘Legitimising the situation arising from Israel’s unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.’
A US State Department spokesperson responded to the calls, saying: ‘We will absolutely work to fully stop any effort to attempt to ban Israel’s national soccer team from the World Cup.’
Football federations FIFA and UEFA, have continued to allow Israeli football clubs to participate in their competitions throughout the genocidal war in Gaza.
The Israeli team is also currently bidding to reach next summer’s World Cup tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
The legitimisation of Israeli participation in international football competitions takes place amid calls by the international community to ban the regime from participation – a call that has gained more momentum in recent months.
In April and May 2024, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) asked FIFA to suspend Israel from competition in a submission made before FIFA’s 74th annual congress, but FIFA did not suspend Israel.
Susan Shalabi, vice president of the PFA: ‘Our issue, sadly again, is stuck in a highly politicised bureaucratic holding pattern.’
Teams representing the regime initially participated in Asian Football Confederation (AFC) competitions but were excluded in 1974 after several teams refused to play against them, and they now compete in UEFA competitions.
- Slovenia has declared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu persona non grata, barring him from entering the country, the government announced after a cabinet meeting.
Neva Grasic, the state secretary at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, said on Thursday that the decision is prompted by the ongoing proceedings against Netanyahu ‘for war crimes and crimes against humanity’ in light of the Israeli regime’s ongoing genocidal military campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip.
This measure ‘sends a clear message’ to Israel, Grasic said, adding that ‘Slovenia expects full respect for the rulings of international courts and international humanitarian law.’
She recalled that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in July 2024 that numerous Israeli policies and practices breached both humanitarian and human rights law, highlighting that countries, including Slovenia, are required not to recognise or aid in sustaining ‘the unlawful situation resulting from Israel’s illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territories.’
Grasic also referenced a report from the UN Human Rights Council’s independent investigative commission on Gaza dated September 16, 2025, which determined that Israel’s actions constituted genocide.
She said: ‘This was the first time the UN described Israel’s conduct in Gaza as genocidal.’
In July, the Slovenian government designated Israel’s so-called minister of national security Itamar Ben-Gvir and far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as ‘personae non gratae’.
In conjunction with the action taken against Netanyahu, Slovenia has approved a contribution of 1.2 million euros (£1.05 million) to assist in the operations of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority.
She concluded: ‘Since Slovenia recognised the state of Palestine on 4th June 2024, and actively participates in initiatives for a (so-called) two-state solution, it is essential to reinforce political support with financial resources,’ she said.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant, citing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its war on the besieged coastal territory.
The Gaza Centre for Human Rights strongly condemned Israel for coercing Palestinian civilians in the besieged enclave to listen to a political speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu through loudspeakers, describing it as a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and basic human rights.
In a statement issued on Friday, the centre expressed deep outrage over reports in Israeli media that the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) deployed trucks equipped with loudspeakers to broadcast Netanyahu’s speech to Palestinians enduring nearly two years of genocide in Gaza.At least eleven people have lost their lives and more than 205 others have sustained injuries when the Israeli military bombed the Yemeni capital Sana’a, Yemeni on Friday, officials say, as tensions in the West Asia region continue to escalate amid Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.