Israel launched air strikes against the Houthi movement in Yemen on Saturday, a day after the group targeted Tel Aviv with a drone. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that the strikes aimed to send a strong message to the Houthis. “The fire currently burning in Hodeidah is seen across the Middle East, and its significance is clear,” Gallant said.
Houthi official Mohammed Abdulsalam condemned the strikes, describing them as “brutal Israeli aggression against Yemen.” He claimed the attacks were intended to pressure the Houthis to cease their support for Palestinians in Gaza, a stance they are unwilling to change.
This marks the first time Israel has directly responded to what it claims have been hundreds of drone and missile attacks from Yemen in recent months. The air strikes targeted the Houthi-controlled Red Sea port of Hodeidah, igniting massive fires. The Houthi-run government in Sana’a reported that Israel struck oil storage facilities and a nearby power plant, resulting in civilian casualties.
Gallant justified the strikes, noting that Israeli fighter jets acted because Israeli citizens were harmed. “The Houthis have attacked us over 200 times. The moment they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck back. We will continue to act wherever necessary,” he said.
Following the attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s resolve to defend itself “by all means.” In a televised address, he stated, “Anyone who harms us will pay a very heavy price for their aggression,” asserting that the port was a gateway for Iranian weapons.
On Friday, a block of flats in Tel Aviv was hit by a drone, reportedly an Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) modified for long-distance flight. The Houthis, over 1,000 miles away in Yemen, claimed responsibility for the attack and vowed to carry out more.
The drone attack killed a 50-year-old man who had recently moved to Israel from Belarus and injured eight others. The Israeli military admitted that their defense forces detected the incoming drone but failed to intercept it due to “human error.”
While this is the first instance of Israel striking the Houthis in Yemen, the US and UK have been conducting air strikes against the group for months to prevent attacks on commercial shipping in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. Initially, the Houthis targeted ships linked to Israel, but their attacks have since expanded to vessels associated with the UK and US.
