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Israeli airstrikes have targeted Houthi rebels, an Iran-backed group in Yemen.
“A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck military targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the area of the Al Hudaydah (Hodeidah) Port in Yemen in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the state of Israel in recent months,” the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
The statement came soon after the Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported airstrikes targeting oil facilities in the western port of Hodeidah, adding that there had been deaths and injuries.
Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam according CNN said the Israeli strikes hit civilian targets, oil tanks and a power station. He slammed what he said was “brutal Israeli aggression” aimed at increasing the “suffering of the people of Yemen” and pressuring it to stop its support of Gaza.
Recall that the Houthis had taken responsibility for a long-range drone attack on Tel Aviv, which resulted in one fatality and multiple injuries. This attack was part of a prolonged campaign by the Houthis, involving numerous missile and drone launches aimed at Israel, and attempts to disrupt shipping through the Red Sea to blockade Israel’s Eilat port.
Israel is already engaged in ongoing conflicts with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both backed by Iran. The airstrikes on Saturday seemed intended to avoid escalating into another major conflict.
In response to Houthi threats to Red Sea shipping, the US and the UK, alongside their allies, have launched numerous strikes on Houthi targets since November, sharing intelligence with Israel. However, four US officials confirmed that Israel conducted Saturday’s operation independently, without American military involvement.
The recent Houthi drone attack near an American diplomatic site in Tel Aviv was an uncommon breach of Israel’s advanced air defenses. Most previous Houthi missile and drone attacks on Israel have been intercepted by Israeli and US forces.
Until this incident, Israel had refrained from direct attacks on the Houthis in Yemen, which lies over 1,000 miles away. However, the drone strike on Tel Aviv prompted a decisive response. “The Houthis attacked us over 200 times. The first time they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them — and we will do this in any place where it may be required,” Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant stated.
