Israel carried out air strikes on the Houthi-controlled Red Sea port of Hodeidah in Yemen, following a drone attack by the group that hit Tel Aviv the previous day. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that the strikes were meant 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 media reported that three people were killed and more than 80 injured in the strikes, which Houthi official Mohammed Abdulsalam described as a “brutal Israeli 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 of falling shrapnel.
Abdulsalam stated that the Israeli strikes aimed to pressure the Houthis to cease supporting Palestinians in Gaza, which he asserted would not happen. This marked the first time Israel responded directly to what it claims are hundreds of Yemeni drone and missile attacks in recent months.
Footage from Hodeidah showed massive fires raging on Saturday evening. The Houthi-run government in Sanaa stated that Israel targeted oil storage facilities near the shore and a nearby power plant.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said: “After nine months of continuous aerial attacks by the Houthis in Yemen toward Israel, IAF [Israeli Air Force] fighter jets conducted an extensive operational strike over 1,800km [1,118 miles] away against Houthi terrorist military targets” in the port area of Hodeidah. The operation was codenamed Outstretched Arm.
Gallant emphasized that Israeli jets struck the group after they harmed Israeli citizens. “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 said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking after the attacks, asserted that Israel would defend itself “by all means.” He added, “Anyone who harms us will pay a very heavy price for their aggression,” and claimed the port was an entry point for Iranian weapons. Netanyahu also stated that the strikes demonstrated Israel’s capability to reach any target.
The recent escalation began on Friday when a block of flats in Tel Aviv was hit by what was described as an Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), modified for long-distance flight. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed a 50-year-old man and injured eight others.
The Israeli military acknowledged that its defense forces had detected the incoming drone but failed to shoot it down due to “human error.” Previously, almost all Houthi missiles and drones aimed at Israel had been intercepted.
The Houthi Supreme Political Council, the group’s executive body, promised an “effective response” to the airstrikes.
While this is Israel’s first direct strike against the Houthis in Yemen, the US and UK have been conducting air strikes against the group for months 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 also attacked vessels linked to the UK and US.