Yemen’s Houthi rebels said Friday that at least nine people were killed by Israeli strikes on the country's rebel-held capital of Sanaa the previous day, the latest in an increase in exchanges between Israel and the Iranian-backed rebels over the war in Gaza.

The strikes on Thursday afternoon came a day after a drone launched by the Houthis wounded 22 people in the southern Israeli city of Eilat, a rare breach of Israel’s air defenses.

According to the health ministry in the Houthi-controlled northern half of Yemen, which includes Sanaa, four children, two women and three older people were among the dead.

Rebel officials also said 59 children, 35 women and 80 older people were among the wounded.

Medics were still searching for victims believed to be trapped under rubble, the rebels said, indicating the casualty tolls could rise.

The Israeli military said Thursday it carried out strikes in Yemen, with dozens of aircraft targeting Houthi military command headquarters, military camps and security and intelligence facilities.

A Houthi spokesperson, Omar el-Bekhety, said Thursday the Israeli strikes targeted residential neighborhoods and electricity facilities and claimed the Houthis' defense systems had thwarted a “large part of the attack.”

According to Sanaa residents, one of the strikes hit a building in a densely populated area in Sanaa, believed to have housed a Houthi leader. The Associated Press could not independently verify the claim.

Israel has launched previous airstrikes in response to the Houthis firing missiles and drones at Israel.

The Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea for over 22 months, saying they are attacking in solidarity with Palestinians during the war in Gaza.