The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on Saturday that IDF fighter jets hit military targets of the Houthi rebels in Al Hudaydah Port in Yemen, sparking huge fires and causing casualties. The attack comes in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against Israel in recent months.
Videos emerging online show the port engulfed in flames, highlighting the severity of the attacks.
In a post on X, the IDF stated, “A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck military targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the area of the Al Hudaydah Port in Yemen in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months.”
The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, said that the Hodeidah port is not an “innocent port”, citing that it is a key entry point for weapon supplies from Iran to the Houthis.
Israel’s statement came after the Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported airstrikes targeting oil facilities in the western port of Hodeidah. It was further reported that there had been deaths and injuries in the attack.
Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam said the Israeli strikes hit civilian targets, oil tanks and a power station. He claimed that the attack was aimed at increasing the “suffering of the people of Yemen” and pressuring it to stop its support of Gaza.
The Israeli strikes came a day after a Houthi carried out a drone attack in Tel Aviv, which claimed the life of one man and injured at least 10 others. The Houthis said the drone attack in Tel Aviv was conducted in response to Israel’s war in Gaza.
The Houthi spokesperson said that the operation was carried out using a drone capable of “bypassing the enemy’s interception systems,” according to a CNN report. Israeli officials said they decided to respond due to the death of the Israeli citizen.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said, “the blood of Israeli citizens has a price” and added that if the Israelis are attacked, the “result will be identical” to that in Lebanon and Gaza.
Gallant said, “The fire that is currently burning in Hodeidah is seen across the Middle East, and the significance is clear.” He further said, “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,” CNN reported.
Yemeni Houthi official, Nasr El-Din Amer stated that “Yemen’s stance with Gaza is firm and will not change, and Yemeni operations supporting Gaza will not stop.”
“You saw the fires rising as a result of the Israeli aggression on Yemen. We will respond more violently and fiercely. No worries,” he added.
The IDF has intercepted most of the drone and missile strikes carried out by Yemeni rebels. Yemeni rebels have also attacked US targets and commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
In response to the attacks on shipping, the US and UK have conducted strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. However, this is the first time Israel has hit Yemen.
Speaking to CNN, an Israeli defence official said that this was a 100 per cent Israeli strike. The official said Israel had previously let the US and UK take the lead in responding to Houthi attacks. However, this time Israel responded due to the death of an Israeli citizen in Tel Aviv.
The defence official said that Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant informed US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin before the strike was conducted.
The official further added that Israel was able to strike so quickly as it had been preparing for this scenario for months.
According to a White House official, US President Joe Biden was briefed on “developments” in the Middle East. A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said the US had not coordinated with Israel on the airstrikes.
The spokesperson further said that the US fully recognises “Israel’s right to self-defence.”
With inputs from ANI
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