Israel has conducted air strikes on the Houthi-controlled Red Sea port of Hodeidah in Yemen, following a drone attack on Tel Aviv.
This marks a significant escalation in the conflict between Israel and the Houthi movement.
The air strikes, carried out on Saturday, targeted oil storage facilities and a power plant, causing extensive fires and damage in the area.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that the strikes aimed to send a clear message to the Houthi movement.
“The fire that is currently burning in Hodeidah is seen across the Middle East, and the significance is clear,” Gallant said. Houthi-linked news outlets reported that three people were killed and over 80 injured in the strikes.
Houthi official Mohammed Abdulsalam condemned the attacks as “brutal Israel aggression against Yemen.”
On Sunday morning, the Israeli military announced that it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen before it entered Israeli airspace. Air sirens were activated in Israel’s Red Sea port of Eilat due to the potential threat of falling shrapnel.
Abdulsalam asserted that the Israeli strikes were intended to pressure the Houthis into ceasing their support for the Palestinians in Gaza, a stance the group has vowed to maintain.
This is the first time Israel has directly responded to what it claims are hundreds of Yemeni drone and missile attacks aimed at its territory in recent months. Footage from Hodeidah on Saturday evening showed large fires raging in the port area.
The Houthi-run government in Sanaa stated that the strikes targeted oil storage facilities and a nearby power plant.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the strikes, stating, “After nine months of continuous aerial attacks by the Houthis in Yemen toward Israel, IAF fighter jets conducted an extensive operational strike over 1,800 km away against Houthi terrorist military targets” in Hodeidah.
The IDF emphasised its capability to operate anywhere and strike any force that endangers Israelis, adding that Saturday’s operation was codenamed “Outstretched Arm.”
Gallant reiterated that the strikes were a direct response to Houthi attacks that harmed Israelis.
“The Houthis attacked us over 200 times. The first time that they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do this in any place where it may be required,” he stated.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also addressed the nation, affirming that Israel would defend itself “by all means.”
He warned that anyone who harms Israel would pay a “very heavy price” and claimed that the port of Hodeidah was an entry point for Iranian weapons.
Netanyahu added that the strikes demonstrated Israel’s reach and ability to target its enemies anywhere. The escalation began on Friday when a block of flats in Tel Aviv was hit by an Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), modified to fly long distances.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed a 50-year-old man who had recently moved to Israel from Belarus and injured eight others. An Israeli military official admitted that the defense forces detected the incoming drone but did not intercept it due to “human error.”
Until now, almost all Houthi missiles and drones fired towards Israel had been intercepted before reaching their targets. In response to the air strikes, the Houthi Supreme Political Council vowed an “effective response,” as reported by Houthi-run media.
This development comes amid ongoing air strikes by the US and UK against the Houthis, aiming to prevent attacks on commercial shipping in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
The Houthis initially targeted ships connected to Israel but have since expanded their attacks to include vessels linked to the UK and US.
The situation remains tense, with the potential for further escalation as both sides prepare for additional retaliatory measures.
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