Israeli airstrikes rocked the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, on Thursday,  10 massive explosions across the city, including strikes targeting Jabal Atan, west of the capital.

In a statement, the Israeli army said it carried out a precise attack targeting a Houthi military site in Sanaa, including the presidential palace and a fuel storage facility.

Earlier, Israeli media said Israeli army naval forces took part in the strikes on the Yemeni capital.

Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Israel carried out the strikes in Yemen as media aired photos of him overseeing the attack with top Israeli military brass.

"Whoever raises a hand against Israel -- their hand will be cut off," stated Katz.

In statements to Al Jazeera, Nasr al-Din Amer, a senior Houthi official, denied reports that Israeli airstrikes targeted Houthi leadership, saying instead that the bombings struck civilian areas and the Yemeni people "because of their solidarity with Gaza."

He described the Israeli aggression as "a failure" and asserted that no Houthi leaders were harmed.

Amer added that Houthi operations against Israel would continue, including the use of advanced ballistic missiles. He noted that Israel was surprised by the use of cluster munitions in recent warheads.

"Israel has always said it would assassinate our top leadership -- and it has always failed," he said.

He added that Israeli strikes targeted civilian centres, a fuel depot, and an electricity plant, rather than any military sites or meetings of senior Houthi officials, contrary to what was reported in Israeli media.

“We are waiting for health authorities to announce the number of dead and injured -- most of them civilians. All they bomb are civilian targets and spin it in their media as military targets,” he said.

A senior security source in the Houthi government told the Yemeni Press Agency that civilian homes were damaged as a result of direct Israeli airstrikes on residential areas in Sanaa.

Other senior Houthi officials told Al Jazeera that the airstrikes hit densely populated areas and described the Israeli attack as "a desperate attempt to create the illusion of a victory for their domestic audience."

Yemeni civil defence teams rushed to extinguish fires and assist those injured in the Israeli strikes, according to Al Jazeera.

A military analyst speaking to Al Jazeera noted that no senior Houthi officials or military targets are based in the capital, Sanaa, but are instead located in the Maran Mountains, south of Saada Governorate.

Saada, in northwestern Yemen, is widely regarded as a Houthi stronghold, known for its rugged, mountainous terrain.

According to the analyst, these conditions offer natural protection for Houthi military assets.

He added that "Israel’s goal is to punish the Yemeni population, as they are easy civilian targets."

The Israeli airstrikes on Sanaa were the third on the Yemeni capital this month and the 47th since Israel began strikes against Yemen in the past year, which have killed and wounded tens of civilians.

The Houthis have attacked Israel-linked vessels in the Red Sea and targeted Israel with missiles and drones since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza in October 2023.

The US has carried out airstrikes against various targets in Yemen.

The Houthi leadership, which is backed by Israel's archenemy Iran, has insisted that its attacks on Israel and US and Western ships headed to Israel would continue until Tel Aviv ends its war on the Palestinians in Gaza.

Israeli sources said the attacks are part of a series of planned assassinations of key Houthi leadership figures that were authorized by Tel Aviv earlier this week.

Israeli media outlets reported that the Israeli strikes targeted buildings used by senior Houthi officials in Sanaa.

They described the attack as "significant," stating that the Israeli army aimed to target the senior leadership of the Houthis based in the city.

The Israeli airstrikes were carried out while Houthi leader, Abdel-Malak Houthi, was delivering his weekly televised speech to the nation.

In addition to the attacks in the capital Sanaa, Israel bombed the Hajjah and Imran provinces in the north of the country, Israeli media said, citing a source in Yemen.