Israel carried out airstrikes on Yemen, Israeli military said on Monday confirming earlier media reports, a day after Houthis claimed missile attack on its main Ben Gurion Airport.
The reported airstrikes came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened retaliation over a missile fired by Iran-aligned Houthis, who have recently intensified missile launches at Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel’s Channel 12 quoted an unnamed Israeli official as saying: “Israel is now conducting an attack in Yemen.” The network cited reports saying that about 30 Israeli warplanes took part in bombing the western port city of Al Hudaydah.
The channel reported that the Israeli Air Force launched 48 strikes on targets in Yemen, including what an Israeli official described as a “massive blow” to the city’s port.
The channel said dozens of Israeli aircraft bombed multiple targets in the Al Hudaydah port area and the Bajil district in the Al Hudaydah Governorate.
According to the same report, the strikes hit more than 10 locations across Yemen, with a primary focus on the strategic Red Sea port of Al Hudaydah.
Al-Masirah TV, a Houthi-run channel, reported that six U.S.-Israeli raids targeted Al Hudaydah’s port. The channel also said another strike hit the Bajil District in the Al Hudaydah Governorate.
The broadcaster did not report casualties or damage.
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Agence France-Presse (AFP) that Israeli warplanes struck Yemen.
In a video published on Telegram before the reported attack on Al Hudaydah, Netanyahu said Israel had “acted against” the Houthis in the past and “will act in the future.”
“It will not happen in one bang, but there will be many bangs,” he added, without elaborating.
On social media platform X, Netanyahu said Israel would also respond to Iran at “a time and place of our choosing.”
Israel’s military in a post on social media X said that fighter jets struck Houthi targets, along Yemen’s coastline.
The Houthis, who control swathes of Yemen, began targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping in late 2023, during the early days of the Israel’s millitary campaign and attacks on the Gaza Strip.
The war was triggered by the Hamas-led incursion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which caused around 1,200 deaths and took 251 hostages.
Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, in comparison, has killed over 52,000 Palestinians and destroyed most of the coastal enclave.
The U.S. occasional strikes on Yemen’s Houthis, on the other hand, began under former president Joe Biden, but have intensified under his successor Donald Trump.
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