In a night of deadly escalation across the Middle East, US warplanes pounded Houthi weapons facilities in Yemen while an Israeli airstrike obliterated a home in Gaza’s densely populated Jabalia refugee camp, reportedly killing over 30 civilians, including at least 13 children. The attacks marked a grim intensification of the conflicts raging in Yemen and between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza and Lebanon.
US Targets Houthi Weapons Caches in Yemen
Pentagon officials stated that American jets conducted multiple strikes on Saturday night against advanced weapons storage facilities in Yemen belonging to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The targeted caches allegedly contained various armaments used by the Houthis to threaten navigation in the vital waterways of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The assault, as described by the Pentagon, aimed to disrupt the Houthis’ ability to carry out attacks on both military and civilian vessels in the region. The Houthi-run media outlet Al Masirah reported a series of strikes hitting the Al Sabeen district in the rebel-held capital of Sana’a.
Dozens Killed as Israel Bombs Gaza Home
Meanwhile, horror unfolded in northern Gaza as an Israeli air raid flattened a home in the Jabalia refugee camp in the early hours of Sunday morning. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that the strike killed at least 33 civilians, among them a staggering 13 children. Dozens more were injured, many critically, overwhelming local hospitals.
Witnesses described a scene of utter devastation, with rescuers frantically digging through the rubble of the multistory building in search of survivors. Jabalia, along with the rest of northern Gaza, has been under an intense Israeli siege and bombardment for weeks, creating what the UN has called “apocalyptic” conditions for the hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped there.
The attack resulted in 33 civilians killed, including 13 children.
Quds News Network
Israel Claims Dozens of “Terrorists” Eliminated
In a post on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Israeli officials claimed to have “eliminated dozens of terrorists and destroyed terrorist infrastructures and a warehouse of weapons” in Jabalia. However, they provided no evidence to support the assertion that those targeted were involved in militant activities.
Journalists and Civilians Among the Dead in Gaza and Lebanon
The Jabalia massacre capped a bloody 24 hours in Gaza that saw at least 40 Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes since Friday night. Among the dead were journalist siblings Ahmad and Zahra Abu Sakhil, slain along with their father Muhammad when Israel bombed a school sheltering displaced families. Their deaths brought to 188 the number of journalists killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since the current conflict erupted in October of last year.
In Lebanon, at least 40 perished in a barrage of Israeli strikes, including five siblings in the port city of Tyre late Friday, three of whom were deaf and mute. An Israeli strike demolished a civil defense center near the town of Ras al-Ain, killing 15. Elsewhere in southern Lebanon, a family of five died when their home in Hanawiya was hit.
Qatar Halts Mediation as Netanyahu’s Grip on Power Tightens
Amidst the spiraling bloodshed, Qatar announced it would cease its efforts to broker a truce, informing the US and Israel that it sees no willingness to negotiate in good faith. Doha’s withdrawal leaves few diplomatic avenues to deescalate the situation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears poised to remain in office until at least 2026, buoyed by his ouster of the defense minister and favorable results in the recent US election, developments that could portend even greater violence. The incoming American president, Donald Trump, has vowed to swiftly end the conflicts, but his approach remains unclear as the region descends deeper into turmoil.
