Israeli fighter jets bombed sites in Yemen affiliated with the Iran-backed Houthi militia on Saturday in retaliation for a deadly drone attack in Tel Aviv a day earlier, according to four U.S. officials and two regional officials. It was the first time Israel has publicly attacked the group in months of escalating tensions.
The Israeli airstrikes targeted gas and oil depots and a power station in the area of Yemen’s Red Sea port of Hodeidah, the two regional sources said. The port is controlled by the Houthis and is the site of oil export facilities, but it is also a vital conduit for civilian goods and humanitarian aid to impoverished Yemen.
There was no immediate comment by the Israeli military.
On Friday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for firing a long-range drone that hit the coastal city of Tel Aviv, killing one Israeli and wounding several others.
The Houthis, a Yemeni militia, are supported by Iran, Israel’s regional foe. Its fighters have lobbed hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel in what they call a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. They have also menaced numerous commercial ships passing through the Red Sea for months now in an effort to blockade the Israeli port of Eilat.
The United States and Britain, alongside their allies, have struck hundreds of Houthi targets in Yemen since November and have been sharing intelligence with Israel for months. But the four U.S. officials said Israel acted alone on Saturday, with no American military involvement.
Nasruddin Amer, a Houthi spokesman, wrote on social media after the Israeli bombardment that the group’s position on Gaza would not change. “Yemen’s operations in support of Gaza will not stop,” Mr. Amer vowed. “The response to this aggression is inevitable.”
The deadly Houthi drone attack in Tel Aviv — which struck close to an American diplomatic compound — was a rare breach of Israel’s vaunted air defenses. Most of the missiles and drones fired by the Houthis at Israel have been shot down by U.S. and Israeli forces.
Until Saturday, Israel had avoided a full-on attack against the Houthis in Yemen, which is more than 1,000 miles away. But the drone attack in Tel Aviv appeared to tip the scales.
Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister, vowed on Friday that the country would “get even” with the militants in a “sharp and surprising way.” The next day, Israeli planes flew in broad daylight toward Yemen.
The Houthis have repeatedly threatened to turn any retaliation against them into a grinding war. Brig. Gen. Abed al-Thawr, a senior Houthi military official, said in an interview on Friday night that the group still had “weapons that haven’t been unveiled yet.”
“All Israeli cities have now come under the reach of our targeting,” he said.
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