The Red Sea port city of Hodeidah was shaken by powerful airstrikes just one day after Israeli officials threatened retaliation for a drone strike that targeted Tel Aviv. A massive fire was started by airstrikes that targeted a power infrastructure and refinery. Since the Houthi movement in Yemen started firing missiles and using drones to strike Israel last year, this was the first direct hit on Yemen.
Up to Friday’s attack on Tel Aviv, which left one person dead and at least ten injured, all of those attacks had been thwarted. The Houthi movement in Yemen’s Almasirah media channel declared on Saturday night that the city had been the target of airstrikes.
Large plumes of smoke and flames were visible adjacent to the port in pictures sharing on social media but could not be quickly confirmed. According to Almasirah, the attacks on the oil facilities resulted in three fatalities and 87 injuries. “In response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the state of Israel in recent months”, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that its fighter planes had hit military targets in Yemen’s Hodeidah Port.
Later on in the evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the port was “not an innocent port,” and it was attacked because it was utilized “for military purposes”. He went on, saying that the hit “makes it clear to our enemies that there is no place that the long arm of the state of Israel will not reach.”
Defence minister Yoav Gallant said “the fire that is currently burning in Hodeidah is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear … The first time that they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do this in any place where it may be required”.
The Houthis responded to the bombings by threatening to “plague” Israel with further assaults. According to Reuters, Almasirah TV later removed the reference to the US and British forces being responsible for the strikes on Hodeidah. Hodeidah has recently been the target of multiple strikes by US and British forces.
Israel, the US, and the UK carried out a coordinated operation to carry out the strikes against a gasoline store and oil refineries at the port, according to the Saudi news site Al Arabiya, which cited anonymous sources. Twelve Israeli aircraft, including fighter jets built on the F-35 variant, were reportedly involved in the strikes. The New York Times said that four US officials stated that there was no US military participation in Israel’s actions on Saturday against the Houthis.
“Human Error”
The most recent attacks on Hodeidah come after Gallant vowed to “settle the score” in response to a Houthi drone strike that left one man dead and ten others injured in central Tel Aviv. The Houthis claimed to have utilized a new kind of drone that was imperceptible to radar and air defense systems, and they quickly claimed responsibility for the strike.
Rather, Israeli authorities attributed the problem to “human error” and stated that the IDF was looking into it. Rear Adm Daniel Hagari, the chief military spokesperson, stated that although air defenses had identified the drone, a “error” prevented it from being stopped. The drone detonated above an apartment building, creating an explosion that rocked the port city, killed one person, and unnerved locals who were alarmed by the infrequent attack, according to local authorities.
