Israel strikes Yemen port after Houthi rebels attack Tel Aviv


Oil depot and electrical installations reportedly targeted in powerful attack on Red Sea port city

Powerful airstrikes rocked the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah a day after Israeli officials vowed revenge for a drone that struck Tel Aviv.

Airstrikes hit a refinery and electricity infrastructure, sparking a huge blaze. It was the first direct hit on Yemen since Houthi rebels there began targeting Israel with missiles and drones last year.

All of those attacks had been intercepted, until Friday’s strike on Tel Aviv killed one person and injured at least 10.

The Almasirah television channel, run by Yemen’s Houthi movement, said on Saturday evening that airstrikes had targeted the city.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its fighter jets struck military targets in the Hodeidah Port in Yemen “in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months.”

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said later in the evening that the port was targeted as it was used “for military purposes”.

The strike, he added, “makes it clear to our enemies that there is no place that the long arm of the state of Israel will not reach”.

Defence minister Yoav Gallant said “the fire that is currently burning in Hodeidah is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear … 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.”

The Houthis vowed to “plague” Israel with further attacks in response to the strikes.

The latest airstrikes in Hodeidah follow a vow by Gallant, to “settle the score” after a Houthi drone struck central Tel Aviv, killing one man and injuring 10 other people. The Houthis immediately took responsibility for the attack, claiming they had used a new type of drone undetectable to radar and air defence systems.

Israeli officials instead blamed “human error” and said the military was investigating what went wrong. Chief military spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said the drone had been detected by air defences but an “error” meant it was not intercepted.

Local police described how the drone exploded over an apartment block, causing a blast that shook the port city, killed one and unsettled residents, disturbed by the rare attack.

Gallant pledged to strengthen Israeli air defences after the attack amid an increase in rocket attacks from Hezbollah that struck northern Israel. The IDF said a barrage of 40 rockets targeted the occupied Golan Heights and Galilee in the day after the drone attack, challenging Israeli air defences.

Yemen’s Houthis, an Iran-backed militia that control much of the country’s west including the coastline, have targeted ships in the Gulf of Aden and disrupted maritime activity in the Red Sea for months in response to Israeli attacks in Gaza.

Israel shot down a suspected Houthi drone headed for the Red Sea port of Eilat earlier this month with a fighter jet, while the group’s attacks on shipping have majorly disrupted business at the key Israeli port.


Israel strikes Yemen port after Houthi rebels attack Tel Aviv | Yemen | The Guardian