Several powerful Israeli airstrikes rocked Yemen’s rebel-held capital and a key port city early Thursday, resulting in the deaths of at least nine individuals following a missile launched by Houthi forces targeting central Israel.
Thursday’s airstrikes threaten to intensify the conflict with the Iranian-backed Houthis, whose assaults on the Red Sea shipping corridor have significantly disrupted global maritime trade. The rebels have thus far avoided the same level of intense military retaliation that has been directed at Palestinian militant group Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, fellow members of Tehran’s self-proclaimed “Axis of Resistance.”
Israel‘s military reported conducting two waves of airstrikes in a pre-planned operation that commenced early Thursday, involving 14 fighter jets. The military stated that the initial wave of airstrikes targeted Houthi infrastructure at the ports of Hodeida, Salif, and the Ras Isa oil terminal on the Red Sea.
In a subsequent wave of airstrikes, the military reported that its fighter jets targeted Houthi energy infrastructure in Sanaa.
The Houthi-controlled satellite channel al-Masirah reported that some of the airstrikes targeted power stations in the capital, sharing videos of flames engulfing one structure as civil defence personnel attempted to extinguish the fire with water. The channel reported that at least seven people were killed at Salif, with another two fatalities at the Ras Isa oil terminal.
Additional injuries were also reported at the Hodeida port. The Israeli military did not provide a damage assessment in their statement.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman, confirmed that the strikes targeted energy and port infrastructure, which he claimed the rebels had been using to support their military action.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a stern warning to the Houthis, stating: “I suggest the leaders of the Houthis to see, to understand and remember: Whoever raises a hand against the state of Israel, his hand will be cut off, whoever harms us – will be harmed sevenfold.”
Hodeida, a rebel-held city located approximately 145 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of Sanaa, is crucial for food shipments into Yemen amidst its decade-long conflict. There are also longstanding suspicions that Iranian weapons have been smuggled through the port.
The airstrikes occurred shortly after the Israeli military announced that its air force had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen before it entered Israeli territory. A military official clarified that the waves of strikes on Yemen early Thursday were not a direct retaliation to the missile attack but rather a preplanned response to months of Houthi aggression.
Israeli fighter jets were already airborne when the missile was launched.
The Israeli military has confirmed that sirens were activated due to the risks associated with falling debris from an intercepted missile. Residents near Tel Aviv and adjacent regions heard sirens, and a significant blast was audible in the sky.
In a Tel Aviv suburb, Ramat Gan, shrapnel from the destroyed projectile was substantial enough to bring down a school structure without causing injuries.
According to a military official, since October 7, 2023, the Houthi rebels have targeted Israel with over 200 missiles and UAVs, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree of the Houthi militia acknowledged the offensive in a videotaped declaration later that day; the group claimed they had employed two Palestine ballistic missiles against Israeli targets.
Israel has previously engaged targets in Hodeida, including its petroleum facilities, in July following a Houthi drone attack that killed one individual and injured 10 in Tel Aviv. In a subsequent assault on Hodeida in September, which followed a missile strike aimed at Israel‘s Ben Gurion airport coinciding with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s return, at least four individuals were reported dead.
Additionally, American forces have executed numerous strikes against the Houthis for nearly a year in response to their attacks on vessels traversing the crucial Red Sea corridor.
The US Central Command announced on Monday that it had demolished “a key command-and-control facility” in Sanaa used by the Houthis, identified as the al-Ardi complex, formerly serving as the nation’s Defense Ministry.
Israel appears to have acted independently in carrying out Thursday’s strikes, with a US military official, who wished to remain anonymous, confirming that Washington was not involved.
While the US has previously launched attacks on the Houthis, it is also attempting to balance Saudi Arabia’s aspirations for a lasting ceasefire in its ongoing conflict with the rebels.