HODEIDA: Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes on Saturday targeting the Houthi-controlled port city of Hodeida in Yemen, a day after a drone attack by the Houthis killed a civilian in Tel Aviv, both sides said.
The airstrikes, which caused a massive fire and sent plumes of black smoke into the air, mark Israel’s first claimed military operation in Yemen, approximately 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) away from its borders, according to analysts.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said, “The blood of Israeli citizens has a price,” following the airstrikes on Hodeida. He warned of further operations against Houthis “if they dare to attack us again.”
“The fire currently burning in Hodeida is seen across the Middle East, and the significance is clear,” Gallant added.
Hours after Friday’s drone strike in Tel Aviv, Gallant had vowed retaliation against the Houthis, who control large areas of Yemen, including substantial portions of its Red Sea coastline.
The Israeli military stated that its fighter jets targeted “military targets of the Houthi regime” in Hodeida in response to what it described as “hundreds of attacks carried out against the state of Israel in recent months.”
The Houthis, who have previously claimed responsibility for attacks on Israeli cities like Ashdod, Haifa, and Eilat, confirmed the drone strike in Tel Aviv as a part of their military campaign. However, Friday’s attack appeared to breach Israel’s strong air defence systems.
In a statement on social media, senior Houthi official Mohammed Abdulsalam condemned the Israeli airstrikes as “brutal aggression against Yemen.” Abdulsalam claimed the strikes targeted “fuel storage facilities and a power plant” in Hodeida, purportedly to pressure Yemen into halting its support for Palestinians in the ongoing Gaza conflict.
The Houthi-run health ministry reported casualties from the Hodeida strikes, citing deaths and injuries without specifying the exact toll. Al Masirah television, aligned with the Houthis, aired footage showing a massive blaze engulfing the port’s seafront and emitting a significant column of smoke.
An AFP correspondent in Hodeida witnessed several powerful explosions and observed smoke billowing over the port area. The strikes prompted the closure of fuel pumps across the city, severely impacting its role as a crucial gateway for imports and international aid, crucial for millions of Yemenis amid a protracted humanitarian crisis.
Hodeida, largely untouched by direct military actions until now, has been a vital lifeline for humanitarian aid into Houthi-controlled territories amidst Yemen’s prolonged conflict between the rebels and the internationally recognized government.
“Traders now fear that this will exacerbate the already critical food security and humanitarian situation in northern Yemen, as the majority of trade flows through this port,” commented Mohammed Albasha, a senior Middle East analyst with the Navanti Group based in the US.
Albasha warned that the Israeli airstrikes are likely to be perceived by many Yemenis as an assault on their homeland, potentially bolstering Houthi recruitment efforts and increasing support for their cause.
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had earlier appealed for “maximum restraint” following the Tel Aviv drone attack to prevent further escalation in the region. However, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi politburo, immediately responded to the Hodeida strikes, vowing retaliation against Israel for targeting civilian facilities.
