A major attack targeted strategic Houthi military sites in and around Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, on Thursday night, with powerful explosions reported at military positions in the mountains surrounding the city, sources told Sheba Intelligence.

The sources said explosions were heard around mountainous areas including Nuqum and Al-Nahdayn, but the largest and most successive blasts were reported at Jabal Al-Nahdayn, south of the capital. The mountain overlooks the Presidential Palace and hosts or is surrounded by military facilities and sites associated with weapons and missile storage.

According to the sources, eyewitnesses heard a series of powerful explosions but did not hear aircraft flying over the capital before the blasts.

There is no confirmed information yet identifying the force behind the attack or the type of weapons used.

However, the Saudi-led Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen is one possible actor, given the timing of the attack, which came only hours after the Coalition announced a series of developments related to Houthi attacks inside Saudi Arabia.

On October 1, the Coalition said an investigation and examination of drone wreckage had established Houthi responsibility for the September 29 attack on the Taibah electricity distribution station in Medina.

Later on Thursday, the Coalition announced that it had intercepted two ballistic missiles targeting Khamis Mushait and Jazan, as well as four drones targeting Khamis Mushait. Debris from one of the intercepted ballistic missiles caused material damage to buildings and vehicles, with no casualties reported.

Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said the Coalition would continue taking operational measures to deter Houthi attacks.

Hours later, powerful explosions began at Houthi military sites in Sana’a.

The sequence of events raises the possibility that the Sana’a attack is connected to the rapidly escalating confrontation. However, there has been no official confirmation identifying the force responsible for the attack.

A military expert speaking to Sheba Intelligence said the reported absence of aircraft noise, if confirmed, leaves several possible methods of attack.

These include long-range weapons launched from outside the immediate airspace around Sana’a, missiles fired from naval platforms, or long-range strategic drones.

The expert said another possibility cannot yet be excluded: capabilities or resources deployed or activated from inside Houthi-controlled territory, particularly given the pattern of security breaches and covert operations reported inside Sana’a in recent weeks.

Determining the weapon and launch method would require examination of the blast patterns, debris and damage at the targeted sites, the expert added.

Sana’a Under Growing Military Pressure

The latest attack follows a series of strikes and covert operations that have increasingly reached deep inside Houthi-controlled Sana’a.

On September 20, Sheba Intelligence revealed details of an operation codenamed “In the Heart of the Enemy,” which combined aerial and ground components to penetrate and disrupt a secret Houthi communications network in Sana’a. According to Sheba Intelligence sources, the operation targeted a key communications facility and resulted in the deaths of four Iranian experts. Drone activity and strikes were also reported around Aiban and Nuqum, including sites associated with air defenses, weapons and missile storage.

The latest attack therefore comes amid indications that military pressure is increasingly reaching sensitive Houthi command, communications and weapons infrastructure inside the capital.

Nearly 2,000 Operations Across Yemen

The pressure on Sana’a is unfolding alongside a broader escalation on Yemen’s battlefronts.

In four successive military statements, the Yemeni Armed Forces announced a combined 1,994 targeting operations — nearly 2,000 — against Houthi fighters, positions, reinforcements and military equipment across multiple fronts.

At the same time, the Houthis have continued offensive operations, including a major attack around Taiz, one of Yemen’s most densely populated cities.

The attack on Sana’a therefore comes amid simultaneous escalation on three fronts: Houthi attacks inside Saudi Arabia, intensified fighting across Yemen, and increasingly sophisticated operations reaching deep into Houthi military infrastructure in the capital.

The identity of the force behind Thursday night’s attack and the weapons used remain unknown.