A series of Israeli strikes have been launched against the Houthi-controlled port city of Hodeidah in Yemen.
The attack resulted in fatalities in the western coastal city, according to the Houthis’ own TV station Al Masirah, and targeted fuel storage facilities and the province’s power station, a senior spokesman for the group said.
Explosions were reportedly heard throughout the city during the bombardment, citizens told the Reuters news agency.
After the strikes, the IDF intercepted a missile that approached Israeli territory from Yemen. The projectile did not cross into Israeli territory.
Israel’s strikes come a day after the Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for a drone strike near the US embassy in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, which left one person dead and injured up to 10 others.
The attack on Hodeidah is believed to be the first Israeli strikes on Yemeni soil since the conflict with Hamas in Gaza began in October.
The Israeli military said in a statement on Saturday: “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.”
IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari later said in a press conference that Israel informed its allies before carrying out the strike, but reiterated that the IDF acted alone.
He said the attacks were a “step up in Israel’s actions in self-defence” and the military would continue to “defend the people of Israel from threats near and far”.
Friday: Israeli police investigate the scene of an explosive drone attack in Tel Aviv. Pic: AP
Meanwhile, Houthi spokesman Nasruddin Amer wrote on social media platform X that “brutal Israeli aggression” was aimed at curbing Yemen from supporting Gaza, which “is a dream that will not come true”.
‘The significance is clear’
Also issuing a statement on the attack, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant said that the “fire currently burning in Hodeidah is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear”.
He added: “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.”
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An IDF spokesperson said the strikes conducted against Houthi targets in Yemen was for ‘all the threats’ conducted against Israel in the last nine months.
A series of Houthi-launched attacks have also targeted Western shipping using the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden – resulting in reprisals by the US, UK and other allied countries.
The Houthis have claimed they have hit vessels to show their support for Hamas in its conflict with Israel.
Earlier on Saturday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had received reports of two attacks on a vessel 64 nautical miles (118.5 km) northwest of Yemen’s Mokha, causing slight damage.
The captain of the vessel reported attacks by an aerial drone, which exploded close to the vessel and by a seaborne drone, which also exploded nearby.
The Houthi-held Red Sea port of Hodeidah. File pic: Reuters
A maritime security source told Reuters that the ship, which has been identified as a Liberia-flagged container ship, was attacked by a skiff (small rowing boat) and drones.
Another attack occurred 83 nautical miles southeast of the Yemeni city of Aden late on Friday, when a Singapore-flagged vessel was damaged by a Houthi strike.
The UKMTO said that incident was still under investigation.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, at least 13 people were killed in three Israeli airstrikes that hit refugee camps overnight into Saturday, according to Palestinian health officials, as cease-fire talks in Cairo appeared to make progress. It brings the total number of Palestinians killed in Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip to almost 39,000, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave.
The war started after Hamas stormed Israeli towns on 7 October, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.