At least two people were killed and 48 others wounded on Thursday when Israel conducted multiple airstrikes on Yemen's Houthi-held capital Sanaa, Houthi-run health authorities said.

In a statement broadcast by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, the authorities called the figures an "initial toll," saying the death toll could further rise.

According to al-Masirah TV, the Israeli airstrikes targeted the Dhahban power station, the Presidential Palace complex, the General Security Camp, as well as two residential neighborhoods in the city.

Eyewitnesses described thick black smoke rising across the city as fighter jets roared overhead. Many residents rushed to open their windows out of fear that pressure waves from the explosions could shatter the glass.

According to local sources, Sanaa lacks anti-aircraft defenses to intercept Israeli warplanes or underground shelters for residents seeking safety.

In a statement, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Air Force hit several military camps, including a Houthi General Staff's camp, and destroyed stockpiles of drones and weapons.

He said the strikes killed "dozens" of Houthi militants. "As I promised yesterday, whoever harms us will be harmed sevenfold," Katz said.

Katz said the strikes were launched in retaliation for a drone attack on Wednesday in Eilat, Israel's southern Red Sea resort city, which reportedly wounded at least 20 people, including two seriously.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV reported that about 15 fighter jets took part in the attack, dropping around 65 bombs.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, the Israeli military said an initial investigation by the Air Force into Wednesday's drone attack indicated that the Houthi drone was detected relatively late and interception attempts by the Iron Dome aerial defense system failed.

"Corrective measures were implemented," the military said.

In a separate development, Chief of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council Rashad al-Alimi on Thursday told the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York that the international community should take collective action to help rebuild Yemen's state institutions, restore the country's stability, and end the Houthis' control.

"What we request from the international community is not additional statements, but decisive steps to support the legitimate government as a reliable partner on the ground," al-Alimi was quoted as saying by state-run Saba news agency.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since 2014 when Houthi forces seized control of Sanaa and much of the country's north, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in support of the internationally-recognized government in 2015.

The conflict has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with millions of Yemenis facing food insecurity and lacking access to basic services. Multiple rounds of peace talks have failed to produce a political settlement.

Meanwhile, Israel has been conducting airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen since 2024, in retaliation for Houthi missile and drone attacks on Israeli territory. The Houthis say their assaults are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Their attacks intensified after Israel killed senior Houthi government officials in Sanaa in August.