Israel’s military said on Tuesday it had struck targets it claimed were linked to the Houthi militia in the Hudaydah port in Yemen, escalating its campaign against the group.
Houthi-linked broadcaster al-Masirah TV reported at least 12 strikes had hit the port’s dock.
The strikes followed an urgent evacuation warning issued by the Israeli military earlier in the day. “Anyone remaining in the area is putting their lives in danger,” Israeli military’s Arabic-speaking spokesman, Avichay Adraee, said in a statement.
The Israeli military has accused the Houthis of using the western port city as a transit point for Iranian weaponry, and the city has borne the brunt of U.S. and Israeli strikes over the past year. Much of the port and many of its roads — lifelines for food and medicine entering the country — are in ruins.
The Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, said in a statement that the Israeli air force had bombed Hudaydah port “to ensure the continuation of the naval and aerial siege of the Houthi terrorist organization.” He added that the Houthis would “continue to absorb blows and would pay painful prices for any attempt to attack Israel.”
A military spokesman for the Houthis, Yahya Saree, said on social media post that the group’s air defenses “caused significant confusion for enemy aircraft,” compelling some of the Israeli “combat formations to leave the airspace before carrying out their aggression.”
The Houthis, an Iran-backed group, have controlled of a large part of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, since 2014. They have been attacking Israel using missiles and drones in solidarity with Hamas after it led an attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The Houthis have also targeted ships in the Red Sea, a vital trade route leading to the Suez Canal, in an attempt to exert pressure on Israel and its allies over the campaign in Gaza. The United States has struck Houthi targets several times in response.
Israel has expanded its attacks on the Houthis recently, killing the militia group’s prime minister and some of his cabinet members in airstrikes last month.
Last week, Israel also struck the capital Sanaa, targeting a building that housed the Houthis’ media division. That attack on Sanaa and other targets in al-Jawf province killed at least 46 people, according to the group.
Isabel Kershner contributed reporting from Jerusalem.
Ismaeel Naar is an international reporter for The Times, covering the Gulf states. He is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The post Israel Strikes Houthi Sites at Hudaydah Port amid Gaza City Assault appeared first on New York Times.
