Israel attacks port city in Yemen in retaliation

One day after the Houthi militia’s deadly drone attack on Tel Aviv, Israel’s military said it responded with a direct counterattack in Yemen. “Israeli fighter jets have attacked military targets of the Houthi terror regime in the port of Hudaida,” the military announced on its Telegram channel. It was a response to “hundreds of attacks on Israel in recent months.” The military does not provide information on deaths or injuries in such cases.

Port of important importance

Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdel Salam spoke of an Israeli attack on “civilian facilities” in Yemen. The targets were oil and electricity facilities. Nasruddin Amir, a spokesman for the Houthi media authority, said a fire had broken out at the important port. The Houthi-affiliated television station Al-Masirah reported that several people had been killed.

Images on social media showed a major fire at the port, with high flames and a dark column of smoke in the sky. According to the Saudi-funded news channel Al-Arabiya, 12 Israeli aircraft were involved in the attack, including F-35 fighter jets.

The port on the Red Sea is of strategic importance. Yemen has been ravaged by a civil war for years and a serious humanitarian crisis in which around 80 percent of the population is dependent on aid.

Israel had promised retaliation

On Friday, a combat drone struck the center of Tel Aviv, killing one man and injuring at least eight other people. The drone, loaded with explosives, hit a residential building, the Magen David Adom rescue service reported on the online platform X. According to the army, the long-range drone came from Yemen. The Houthi militia spoke of an attack on an “important target” in Tel Aviv. Israel’s Defense Minister Joav Galant announced retaliation.