Israel’s military confirmed it struck Houthi targets at Yemen’s ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Salif, along with the Ras Kanatib power station. This is Israel’s first strike on Yemen in almost a month. The official line: to retaliate for repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks on Israeli territory. The IDF said bluntly, the Houthis are a “terrorist regime” staging attacks from facilities meant for civilian use.
“The Houthi terrorist regime’s forces installed a radar system on the ship, and are using it to track vessels in international maritime space in order to promote the Houthi terrorist regime’s activities,” said Israel’s military, pointing to the hijacked cargo ship Galaxy Leader, seized in late 2023 and anchored at Ras Isa.
Missiles fired in return
Hours after the air strikes, Israel reported two missiles launched from Yemen towards its territory. Sirens sounded from the West Bank to Israel’s south. Interceptors were fired, though whether they hit their mark is still being reviewed. The Houthis didn’t waste time claiming responsibility, calling it payback for Israeli aggression.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the group’s air defences had “succeeded in confronting the Zionist aggression” and retaliated by targeting Ben Gurion airport, the ports of Ashdod and Eilat, and a power station in Ashkelon with “11 missiles and drones.”
Gaza casts a long shadow
This round of strikes and counterstrikes is part of the broader fallout from the war in Gaza. Since October 2023, the Houthis have turned the Red Sea into a front line, hitting Israeli targets and threatening global shipping. They say they’re standing by the Palestinians — and they have the weapons to prove it.
Most of the missiles and drones fired at Israel haven’t done much damage — they’re usually shot down or fall short. But the shipping attacks are another story. The Houthis have seized or hit multiple commercial vessels, slowing trade through one of the world’s busiest sea lanes.
A defiant Houthi front
The Houthis’ message is that they’re not backing down, no matter how many Israeli jets bomb Yemeni ports. Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthis’ media office, posted this on X: “No significant impact on our operations in support of Gaza, nor on preparations for escalation and expansion of operations deep inside the Zionist enemy entity.”
Their leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, has built a force tens of thousands strong, kitted out with Iranian drones and missiles. Tehran officially denies supplying weapons. Nobody really believes that. Even US Army Gen. Michael Kurilla told Congress: “The [Houthi] network would die on the vine without Iranian support.”
Ports, power and civilians in the firing line
Hodeidah, Yemen’s biggest port, is vital. It’s not just a Houthi stronghold — it’s where aid and food come in for millions of Yemenis already battered by years of civil war. Israel insists the Houthis are abusing it to funnel weapons from Iran.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz didn’t mince words: “The fate of Yemen is the same as the fate of Tehran. Anyone who tries to harm Israel will be harmed, and anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have their hand cut off.”
Residents in Hodeidah told Reuters the strikes knocked out power. There’s no confirmed word on civilian casualties yet. The IDF says it warned people to evacuate before the bombs fell.
The strikes come after a ship was attacked off Hodeidah’s coast. Its crew jumped overboard as the vessel took on water. Security firm Ambrey said it looked like a typical Houthi hit — although no one’s claimed it. Days before, the Houthis also claimed to have targeted the Greek-operated Magic Seas with drones and missiles, damaging cargo and sparking a fire.
In the background is a tangled web of old grudges and new escalations. The Houthis control most of north-west Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, since toppling the recognised government in 2014. They’ve survived a Saudi-led bombardment, a grinding civil war, and now fresh Israeli firepower.
Israel’s navy has even threatened a naval and air blockade if the Houthis keep up the attacks. For now, the strikes roll on. The missiles keep coming. And millions in Yemen — and far beyond — wait to see how far this next front in the region’s wars will spread.
(With inputs from Reuters)
“The Houthi terrorist regime’s forces installed a radar system on the ship, and are using it to track vessels in international maritime space in order to promote the Houthi terrorist regime’s activities,” said Israel’s military, pointing to the hijacked cargo ship Galaxy Leader, seized in late 2023 and anchored at Ras Isa.
Missiles fired in return
Hours after the air strikes, Israel reported two missiles launched from Yemen towards its territory. Sirens sounded from the West Bank to Israel’s south. Interceptors were fired, though whether they hit their mark is still being reviewed. The Houthis didn’t waste time claiming responsibility, calling it payback for Israeli aggression.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the group’s air defences had “succeeded in confronting the Zionist aggression” and retaliated by targeting Ben Gurion airport, the ports of Ashdod and Eilat, and a power station in Ashkelon with “11 missiles and drones.”
Gaza casts a long shadow
This round of strikes and counterstrikes is part of the broader fallout from the war in Gaza. Since October 2023, the Houthis have turned the Red Sea into a front line, hitting Israeli targets and threatening global shipping. They say they’re standing by the Palestinians — and they have the weapons to prove it.
Most of the missiles and drones fired at Israel haven’t done much damage — they’re usually shot down or fall short. But the shipping attacks are another story. The Houthis have seized or hit multiple commercial vessels, slowing trade through one of the world’s busiest sea lanes.
A defiant Houthi front
The Houthis’ message is that they’re not backing down, no matter how many Israeli jets bomb Yemeni ports. Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthis’ media office, posted this on X: “No significant impact on our operations in support of Gaza, nor on preparations for escalation and expansion of operations deep inside the Zionist enemy entity.”
Their leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, has built a force tens of thousands strong, kitted out with Iranian drones and missiles. Tehran officially denies supplying weapons. Nobody really believes that. Even US Army Gen. Michael Kurilla told Congress: “The [Houthi] network would die on the vine without Iranian support.”
Ports, power and civilians in the firing line
Hodeidah, Yemen’s biggest port, is vital. It’s not just a Houthi stronghold — it’s where aid and food come in for millions of Yemenis already battered by years of civil war. Israel insists the Houthis are abusing it to funnel weapons from Iran.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz didn’t mince words: “The fate of Yemen is the same as the fate of Tehran. Anyone who tries to harm Israel will be harmed, and anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have their hand cut off.”
Residents in Hodeidah told Reuters the strikes knocked out power. There’s no confirmed word on civilian casualties yet. The IDF says it warned people to evacuate before the bombs fell.
The strikes come after a ship was attacked off Hodeidah’s coast. Its crew jumped overboard as the vessel took on water. Security firm Ambrey said it looked like a typical Houthi hit — although no one’s claimed it. Days before, the Houthis also claimed to have targeted the Greek-operated Magic Seas with drones and missiles, damaging cargo and sparking a fire.
In the background is a tangled web of old grudges and new escalations. The Houthis control most of north-west Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, since toppling the recognised government in 2014. They’ve survived a Saudi-led bombardment, a grinding civil war, and now fresh Israeli firepower.
Israel’s navy has even threatened a naval and air blockade if the Houthis keep up the attacks. For now, the strikes roll on. The missiles keep coming. And millions in Yemen — and far beyond — wait to see how far this next front in the region’s wars will spread.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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