Israeli Airstrikes Pound Yemen

Israel carried out another round of heavy airstrikes Wednesday against Yemen's Houthi rebels, hitting a fuel station in the capital, Sanaa, and a government facility, according to officials in Yemen. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, meanwhile, said she would seek sanctions and a partial trade suspension against Israel over the war in the Gaza Strip, reports the AP. The move adds to Israel's already unprecedented global isolation as it grapples with the fallout from its strike targeting Hamas leaders in US-allied Qatar. Residents reported hearing violent explosions in multiple areas of Sanaa, with fire and smoke in the skies.

Israel has previously launched waves of airstrikes in response to the Houthis' firing missiles and drones at Israel. The Iran-backed Houthis sent a drone that breached Israel's multilayered air defenses and slammed into the country's southern airport. Israel's strikes in Yemen followed earlier attacks that killed the Houthi prime minister and other top officials in a major escalation of the nearly two-year-old conflict between Israel and the Houthis. The strikes on Wednesday hit a station that provides fuel to hospitals in the capital, said Essam al-Mutawakel, spokesman for rebel-run Yemen Petroleum Company. The Houthi media office said Israel also hit a government facility in the strategic city of Hazm. Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said rebels fired surface-to-air missiles at the Israeli fighter jets.

The 27-nation EU is deeply divided in its approach to Israel and the Palestinians, and it's unclear whether a majority will be found to endorse the sanctions and trade measures called for by von der Leyen. She said she plans to freeze support to Israel given by the European Union's executive branch, which wouldn't require the approval of the 27 member countries. "Man-made famine can never be a weapon of war. For the sake of the children, for the sake of humanity. This must stop," von der Leyen said Wednesday, to applause in the European Parliament. In a social media post, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said von der Leyen had succumbed to pressures that undermine Israel-Europe relations, and that her actions will embolden Hamas.