The Israeli military said it had targeted an energy infrastructure site that was used by the Iran-aligned Houthis south of the Yemeni capital Sanaa early on Sunday, with Israeli media saying the Haziz power station had been hit.
The military said in a statement that the strikes were in response to repeated attacks by the Houthis against Israel, including launching missiles and drones toward its territory.
Israeli media reported earlier that the attack on the Haziz power station near the capital was carried out by the Israeli navy.
Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said that the power station was hit by an “aggression,” knocking some of its generators out of service. It did not indicate the source of the attack.
Teams were able to contain a resulting fire, Al Masirah reported, citing the deputy prime minister.
At least two explosions were heard earlier in Sanaa, residents said.
Israel has been bombing Yemen in response to Houthi attacks on Israel. The Yemeni group has been firing missiles toward Israel, most of which have been intercepted, in what they describe as support for Palestinians during the war in Gaza.
The United States and the UK have also previously launched attacks against the Houthis in Yemen.
In May, the US announced a surprise deal with the Houthis where it agreed to stop a bombing campaign against them in return for an end to the group’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, though the Houthis said the deal did not include sparing Israel.
Israel targets energy infrastructure site used by Houthis near Yemeni capital
https://arab.news/meqnb
Israel targets energy infrastructure site used by Houthis near Yemeni capital
- Attack on the Haziz power station near Sanaa carried out by the Israeli navy
- Israel has been bombing Yemen in response to Houthi attacks on Israel
Soleimani warned Al-Assad about ‘spy’ Luna Al-Shibl: Al-Majalla
LONDON: The late Iranian General Qassem Soleimani confronted Syria’s National Security Bureau chief Ali Mamlouk in late 2019 after seeing Luna Al-Shibl leaving his office. Al-Majalla magazine claims its reporters reviewed a document containing the full Arabic transcript of their exchange.
Soleimani reportedly asked, “Who is this?” and Mamlouk replied, “She is Louna Al-Shibl, the president’s adviser.”
The Quds Force commander pressed further: “I know, I know… but who is she really? Where did she work?”
According to Al-Majalla, a sister publication of Arab News, he said her former salary was “ten thousand dollars,” compared with her current salary of “five hundred thousand Syrian pounds,” before asking: “Does it make sense for someone to leave ten thousand dollars for five hundred thousand pounds? She is a spy.”
Both Soleimani and Maher Al-Assad, commander of the Syrian army’s powerful Fourth Division, had warned the ousted president’s inner circle about Al-Shibl, Al-Majalla reported.
‘Suspicious’ car crash
On July 2, 2024, Al-Shibl was involved in what officials described as a traffic accident on the Damascus-Dimas highway. She was hospitalized and died four days later.
But Al-Majalla reported that photos of her armored BMW showed only minor damage, raising immediate questions among those close to the case.
Eyewitnesses told the magazine that the crash was intentional. One said, “a car approached and rammed her vehicle,” and before her bodyguard could exit, “a man attacked her and struck her on the back of the head,” causing paralysis that led to her death.
She was first taken to Al-Saboura clinic, then transferred to Al-Shami Hospital. Several senior regime-linked figures, including businessman Mohammed Hamsho and an aide to Maher Al-Assad, were present when her condition deteriorated. One witness told Al-Majalla that when her bodyguard tried to explain what had happened, “he was arrested immediately in front of the others.”
The presidency later issued a brief statement announcing her death. Her funeral was attended only by a handful of officials. Then president Al-Assad did not attend.
