Israel struck Houthi targets in Yemen, including the vital Hodeidah port, on Monday night, in response to the Houthis missile attack on Ben Gurion Airport a day earlier.
The airstrikes came after the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, vowed revenge against the Houthis and their main backer, Iran, at a time and place of Israel’s choosing.
Striking Hodeidah Port
The Israeli military said it hit targets in Yemen, for the first time in months, striking dozens of Houthi targets in Hodeidah and surrounding areas with 20 Israeli fighter jets participating in the mission, reported CNN.
“The seaport in Hodeidah is used for the transfer of Iranian weapons, equipment for military purposes, and other terror-related need,” the Israeli military said in a statement. It added that the strikes also targeted the Bajil cement factory, east of Hodeidah, for its use in building tunnels and military infrastructure.
Blaming ‘US-Israeli Aggression’
The Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported that at least six airstrikes hit Hodeidah port and confirmed the attack on the Bajil cement factory. Meanwhile, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said the airstrikes in Bajil killed at least one person and injured 35 more.
Hodeidah is the second-largest port in the Red Sea after Aden, accounting for the entry of about 80% of food imports to Yemen. The Houthis blamed “US-Israeli aggression” for the attacks. However, an American official told AFP that the US did not take part in the Israeli strikes on Yemen.
The Houthi official, Abdul Qader al-Mortada, warned Israel of an “unimaginable” response for the Hodeidah attacks, he wrote on X.
Ben Gurion Airport
The Iranian-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for a “hypersonic ballistic missile” attack that hit Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday morning. The Israeli air defenses failed to intercept the missile, which the group said it came in response to Israel’s genocide against the people of Gaza and its plans to expand the offensive in the Strip.
Furthermore, the Houthis announced later that they were imposing a “comprehensive air blockade” on Israel by “repeatedly targeting airports,” warning international carriers to cancel all scheduled flights to Israeli airports.
Israeli Revenge
The Israeli targeting of Hodeidah and other Houthi facilities in Yemen came after Netanyahu had vowed revenge against the Iranian-backed rebel group. He also convened his security cabinet on Sunday to discuss the situation.
On Sunday, the Israeli Prime Minister appeared in a video address warning that Israel would act against the Houthis. “We acted before, we will act in the future too,” he said. Later, he said Israel would retaliate against Iran too. “Israel will respond to the Houthi attack against our main airport AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters,” he posted on X.
In response, Tehran denied any involvement in the Houthis actions against Israel, saying that the Yemeni group’s support for Palestine is an “independent decision.” The Iranian Foreign Ministry called Israeli accusations a “deceptive claim” designed to cover up for Israel’s war crimes in Gaza.
