DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Early Thursday morning, a series of powerful Israeli airstrikes targeted Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital and a significant port city, resulting in the deaths of at least nine individuals, according to local officials. This escalation occurred shortly after the Houthis launched a missile toward central Israel.
The latest airstrikes pose a potential increase in tensions with the Iranian-supported Houthis, noted for their recent assaults on Red Sea shipping routes that have significantly disrupted global maritime operations. Unlike the intense military actions directed at Palestinian group Hamas and Hezbollah, comrades in Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance,” the Houthis have thus far avoided facing similar relentless strikes.
According to al-Masirah, the Houthi-operated satellite channel, the strikes were aimed at various power facilities within the capital, as well as the Ras Isa oil terminal located on the Red Sea. Sources from the port city of Hodeida report that at least seven fatalities occurred in the Salif port area, with an additional two lives claimed at the Ras Isa terminal. Injuries were also reported among the workers at the Hodeida facility.
The Israeli military has refrained from disclosing detailed information regarding specific targets or damage from the strikes; however, it accused the Houthis of utilizing these locations for military operations, including the smuggling of weapons from Iran. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesperson, asserted that the attacks were strategically directed at energy and port facilities allegedly utilized by the rebels to support their military endeavors.
Moreover, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued an ominous warning, asserting, “Whoever raises a hand against the state of Israel, his hand will be cut off; whoever harms us will be harmed sevenfold.”
The city of Hodeida, located approximately 145 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of Sanaa, has been crucial for food supplies to Yemen throughout the ongoing decade-long conflict, with longstanding suspicions surrounding the transfer of arms from Iran through this port. The strikes occurred shortly after Israel confirmed its air force intercepted a missile launched from Yemen to prevent it from entering the Israeli territory.
As sirens were activated in areas around Tel Aviv and nearby regions, a substantial explosion was reported overhead. In Ramat Gan, a suburb of Tel Aviv, missile debris caused the collapse of a school, although fortunately without any reported injuries.
Hours later, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesperson for the Houthis, confirmed the attack in a pre-recorded video, claiming that the rebels launched two ballistic missiles dubbed “Palestine” at Israel.
Previously, Israel had targeted Hodeida and its oil infrastructure back in July, in retaliation for a Houthi drone strike that resulted in one fatality and ten injuries in Tel Aviv. In September, further strikes on Hodeida led to at least four deaths following a missile launched by the rebels aimed at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, coinciding with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s return to the country.
In addition to Israeli actions, U.S. forces have conducted a series of strikes against the Houthis over the past year in response to the rebels’ attacks on shipping within the Red Sea. The U.S. military’s Central Command reported targeting a significant command-and-control facility operated by the Houthis in Sanaa, identified as the al-Ardi complex, once housing the nation’s Defense Ministry.
However, these latest airstrikes attributed to Israel were executed independently, with a U.S. military official indicating that Washington had no involvement in them. While past coordinated strikes against the Houthis by U.S. forces exist, the United States remains cautious, balancing its response with Saudi Arabia’s ongoing pursuit of a permanent truce in its long-standing war with the rebels.
Since the commencement of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, which followed a surprise Hamas attack that resulted in 1,200 Israeli fatalities and the abduction of 250 individuals, the Houthis have launched attacks on approximately 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones. The ongoing offensive in Gaza has reportedly claimed more than 45,000 Palestinian lives, according to local health authorities, not differentiating between combatants and civilians.
The Houthis’ aggressive campaign has seen the seizure of one vessel and the sinking of two others, which has also resulted in the deaths of four sailors. Many missiles and drones launched by the rebels have been intercepted by U.S. and European coalitions operating in the Red Sea or have failed to reach their intended targets, which also included Western military ships.
Claiming that their targets include vessels linked to Israel, the U.S., or the U.K. as a means of pressuring an end to Israel’s actions against Hamas, the Houthis have nevertheless struck several ships with minimal or no direct involvement in the conflict, including those heading to Iran.
Amidst the turmoil, the Houthis continue to pose a formidable challenge in the broader conflict against the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, contributing to over 150,000 deaths, inclusive of civilians, and precipitating one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, which has allegedly claimed tens of thousands more lives. Despite the decimation of groups like Hamas and Hezbollah during Israel’s retaliatory campaigns, the Houthis maintain their position. Meanwhile, conflicts involving Israel and Iran have seen direct exchanges of fire, while Syria, an adversary of Israel since its inception in 1948, has been engulfed in chaos due to a rebel advance amid regional upheavals that have disrupted Iran’s network of allied proxy forces.