Israel has confirmed it launched an attack against Yemen’s port of Hodeidah in its latest round of strikes against the country, which it says is targeting the Houthis.
Dozens of Yemeni civilians have been killed in these ongoing Israeli strikes.
The Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV station said Israel carried out 12 strikes on Tuesday, with the Israeli army claiming they were a response to the Houthis’ military activities there.
“Our air defences are currently confronting the Israeli aircrafts that are launching an aggression against our country,” Houthi spokesperson Yayha Saree posted on X.
Hours before the attack against the Red Sea coast city, the Israeli military, which alleged the Houthis were using the port to receive weapons from Iran, had issued a threat to evacuate the area.
“For your safety, we urge everyone in Hodeida port and the vessels anchored there to evacuate the area immediately,” the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X.
Speaking to Reuters, two sources at the port suggested that Israel’s strikes targeted three docks that had been restored after previous Israeli attacks. The attack last roughly 10 minutes, residents told the news agency.
Following the strikes, the Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the Houthis would “continue to suffer blows” and “pay painful prices” if they attacked Israel.
Since Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, the Houthis have carried out drone and missile attacks against it in solidarity with Palestinians under fire. They have also targeted vessels in the Red Sea.
In response, Israel has hit infrastructure such as ports and power stations in Houthi-held parts of Yemen and also bombed civilian areas.
In the last two weeks, the Houthis claimed responsibility for a drone strike against Israel’s Ramon Airport near the Red Sea city of Eilat that injured two people. The attack on Sunday, which targeted the arrivals hall, had halted operations at the airport for around two hours.
Dozens of people were killed in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and the al-Jawf governorate in Israeli strikes on Wednesday. Hundreds gathered on Tuesday to attend the funeral services of 31 Yemeni journalists who died in the attacks.
On Thursday, the Israeli military said it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen.
Late last month, Israel assassinated the Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi in another air strike in Sanaa, with the group promising “vengeance” for his death and the deaths of almost half of his cabinet.
Several weeks after the deaths of these high-ranking officials, the Houthis’ caretaker prime minister promised on Friday to continue fighting Israel.
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