ADEN/CAIRO – The Israeli military said it carried out airstrikes against Yemen’s Hodeidah Port on Monday, a day after the Iran-aligned Houthis fired a missile that struck near Israel’s main airport.
The military said in a statement that it attacked what it called Houthi “terrorist” targets in Hodeidah and its vicinity.
“The attack was carried out in response to repeated attacks carried out by the Houthi terrorist regime against the State of Israel in which surface-to-surface missiles and unmanned aircraft were launched at the territory of the state and its citizens,” it said.
More than 10 strikes targeted Hodeidah Port and the Al Salakhanah and Al Hawak neighbourhoods in Hodeidah City, five residents told Reuters. Four strikes also targeted a cement factory east of Hodeidah.
The port is the second-largest in the Red Sea after Aden and is the entry point for about 80% of Yemen’s food imports.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate for Sunday’s missile attack, which was the first known to have escaped interception by Israel’s air defences in a series of attacks since March.
The Houthis, who control Yemen, have been firing at Israel and shipping in the Red Sea since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in what they say is solidarity with the Palestinians.
A U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity said that U.S. forces were not actively involved in Monday’s strikes, but there is general coordination between the two allies.
Meanwhile, an oil company operated by the Houthis announced it has begun operating an emergency system with regards to supplying cars with fuel, owing to difficulties in unloading cargo at the oil port of Ras Isa.
The company, in a statement, attributed the decision to U.S. strikes on the country, including the port.
U.S. President Donald Trump in March ordered large-scale strikes against the Houthis saying it was meant to reduce their capabilities and deter them from targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The strikes have killed hundreds of people in Yemen.
REUTERS
