Yemen’s national museum damaged during deadly Israeli airstrikes, Houthi Ministry of Culture says

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — The Israeli airstrikes in Yemen that killed at least 35 people and wounded more than 130 others also caused damaged to Yemen’s national museum and other historical sites in its capital city, the Houthi Ministry of Culture said Thursday.

The status of the artifacts inside the museum is still unclear but thousands of historical artifacts are at risk of damage, according to the ministry. Associated Press photos and video footage from the site of the strike showed damage to the building’s facade.

The ministry called on the UN cultural agency UNESCO to condemn the attack and to intervene to help protect this historical building and its artifacts.

Most of those killed were in Sanaa, the capital, where a military headquarters and a fuel station were hit on Wednesday, the Houthi-run health ministry said.

Israel has previously launched waves of airstrikes in response to the Houthis’ firing of missiles and drones at Israel. The Iran-backed Houthis say they are supporting Hamas and the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and on Sunday they sent a drone that breached Israel’s multilayered air defenses and slammed into a southern airport.