Israeli jets strike Houthi targets in Yemen in response to attacks, says army

Three people were killed and more than 80 people injured, according to health authorities

Fire erupted following Israeli strikes in the Yemeni rebel-held port city of Hodeida on July 20, 2024. AFP

Israeli warplanes bombed Yemen's Houthi-held port city of Hodeidah on Saturday, the Israeli army and the rebels said.

“A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck military targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the area of [Hodeidah] Port in Yemen in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the state of Israel in recent months,” the Israeli army said in a statement.

The strikes came a day after the Iran-backed Houthi rebels killed one person and injured others in a drone attack in Tel Aviv that shocked Israel nine months after the war in Gaza began.

Houthi-run media reported that a series of attacks hit Hodeidah and that a fuel depot in the port had been hit.

Houthi health authorities reported later in the day that at least three people were killed, as well as more than 80 people injured with severe burns in the attack.

A “brutal Israeli aggression” on Yemen targeted civilian fuel depots and power stations in Hodeidah “in order to double the suffering of the people of Yemen and exercise pressure on Yemen to stop supporting Gaza … but the attack will only increase our determination, steadfastness, continuity,” Houthi spokesman Mohamed Abdul Salam said on X.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he approved the strike on the port as retaliation to Friday's drone incident, and claimed that the port was used for military reasons.

About 80 per cent of Yemen’s humanitarian and commercial aid runs through Hodeidah.

“Do not doubt Israel's determination to defend itself on every front,” Mr Netanyahu said in video remarks.

“All those who seek to harm us will pay a very heavy price for their aggression.”

The Houthis have stepped up attacks against Israel and western targets, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.

They began attacking western ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden after Israel invaded the Gaza Strip following last year's attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel.

Hodeidah residents reported power cuts, with petrol stations shutting, and explosions across the coastal city.

One reported hearing explosions for more than 10 minutes. “I don't know what is being hit, but these are the heaviest explosions since the strikes against the Houthis started,” he said.

Another resident, who lives near the port overlooking the Red Sea, saw smoke rising from areas around the city. “I've heard explosions for a few minutes,” he said.

Iran and Yemen's internationally-recognised government condemned the Israeli strikes.

Iran's Foreign Minister spokesman Nasser Kanaani warned Israel of “unpredictable and dangerous consequences” as a result. A Yemen government source told media that Houthi rebels should reconsider its actions.

The Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon said that Israel's actions “marks a new and dangerous phase of a very important confrontation at the level of the entire region”.

The US and the UK previously launched air strikes against Houthi positions in Hodeidah and other rebel-controlled areas to pressure the Houthis to cease their attacks in the Red Sea, which they claim support their ally Hamas.

Hamas stormed Israeli towns on October 7, killing up to 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, nearly 39,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip, according to health authorities in the enclave.