The Israeli military conducted its first large-scale air raid on the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, igniting a massive fire at the port’s oil terminal and other facilities on Saturday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the strikes were a response to attacks on Israeli-linked civilian vessels and long-range missile and drone strikes by the Yemen-based Houthi militant group. “A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck military targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the area of the Hodeidah port in Yemen in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months,” the military said.
Footage online shows the strikes hitting the oil terminal at the port, causing multiple storage tanks to catch fire. The flames spread, leading to burning fuel leaking from the damaged tanks and creating a massive wall of fire. Local media reports suggest the attack likely caused casualties on the ground.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the port was being used by the Houthis to receive arms shipments from Iran. He also mentioned a recent drone attack on Tel Aviv, which resulted in one fatality and at least ten injuries near the US Embassy’s branch office. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, boasting that their new drone technology enabled them to evade enemy defenses and carry out a ‘significant military operation’.
The Houthis, a Shia Islamist group controlling a large and populous part of Yemen, have been attacking Israeli-linked merchant vessels since October, describing their campaign as an act of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. These attacks prompted a response from a US and UK-led coalition, which has been conducting airstrikes against the group.
Despite these efforts, the Houthis continue their attacks on merchant vessels and coalition warships. The group has warned that Israel’s strikes on Hodeidah will not go unanswered, as reported by RT.
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