At least three people were killed and scores injured in Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah Port, according to Houthi rebels. The strikes were a response to a deadly Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv, which resulted in the death of a 50-year-old Israeli.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the strikes, stating they targeted “military targets of the Houthi terrorist regime.” This marks the first time Israel has conducted an airstrike on Yemen. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justified the attack, saying, “Hodeidah was used for military purposes and as an entry point for deadly weapons supplied to the Houthis by Iran.”
Houthi Retaliation and Warnings
Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported that the Israeli airstrikes hit oil facilities in Hodeidah, resulting in at least three deaths and 87 injuries, many of them severe burns. Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam condemned the strikes, labeling them as “brutal Israeli aggression” aimed at increasing Yemeni suffering and pressuring the Houthis to cease support for Gaza.
Houthi army spokesperson Yehya Saree vowed retaliation, threatening that the group would target vital Israeli sites and warning that Tel Aviv was still at risk. “We have prepared for a long war with this enemy until the aggression stops and the blockade on the Palestinian people is lifted,” Saree declared.
International Reactions
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern over the strikes. “The Secretary-General calls on all concerned to avoid attacks that could harm civilians and damage civilian infrastructure,” read a UN statement.
Continued Conflict and Escalation
The IDF stated that the strikes were also in response to approximately 200 projectiles fired by the Houthis towards Israel since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October. Although most of these projectiles have been intercepted, the Houthis claimed that their latest drone attack on Tel Aviv used a new drone capable of bypassing Israeli defense systems.
In response to ongoing Houthi attacks on US targets and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, both the UK and US have conducted strikes on Houthi targets. However, this recent Israeli strike was carried out independently. An Israeli defense official confirmed that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant informed US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin prior to the operation.
US and International Stance
A White House official reported that US President Joe Biden had been briefed on the developments in the Middle East. A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council stated that the US had not coordinated with Israel on the airstrikes but affirmed Israel’s right to self-defense.
Netanyahu emphasized the strategic significance of the operation, stating, “It makes it clear to our enemies that there is no place that the long arm of the state of Israel will not reach.”