Israel launches retaliatory strikes against Iran-backed Houthis

The Israeli military launched airstrikes against the positions of Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen's Hodeidah, the IDF confirmed on Saturday, one day after a fatal Houthi drone attack against Tel Aviv.

A huge explosion rocked an area near the US embassy in Tel Aviv early Friday, killing one and injuring 10 others. Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the unprecedented attack, saying they used a new explosive drone.

On Saturday, IDF fighter jets struck military targets of the Houthis 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 Israel Defense Force said in a statement.

The Israeli airstrikes targeted gas and oil depots and a power station in the area of Yemen’s Red Sea port of Hodeidah, The New York Times reported, citing two regional sources.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the port struck by Israeli fighter jets in Yemen was used as an entry point for Houthi militia to receive Iranian weapons.

Netanyahu said the strike, some 1,800 km (1,120 miles) from Israel's borders, was a reminder to enemies that there was no place that Israel could not reach.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also said, “The fire that is currently burning in Hodeidah is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear. The Houthis attacked us over 200 times. 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.”

Al Arabiya says 12 Israeli aircraft, including an F35, targeted the port. Israeli officials say surface-to-surface missiles were also used in the air raids.

Israel acted alone on Saturday, with no American military involvement, four US officials told The New York Times. However, the country updated its allies prior to carrying out the strike, an unnamed Israeli military official told Reuters.

The US "fully recognizes and acknowledges Israel's right to self-defense," even though it "was not involved in the Israeli strikes (on Yemen), nor did it coordinate or assist Israel with the strikes," the White House National Security Council said.

Several people have been killed and injured in the Israeli airstrikes on Hodeidah port, Houthi-affiliated media reported citing the group's Health Ministry.

"A number of citizens were seriously burned as a result of the Israeli enemy raids on Hodeidah," the Ministry said.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman strongly condemned Israel's airstrikes on Yemen, warning about the danger of escalating tensions and the spread of war in the region as a result of Israel's "dangerous adventurism".

Nasser Kanaani also noted that Israel and its sponsors including the US government are "directly responsible for the dangerous and unpredictable consequences of the adventurist attacks on Yemen."

On Saturday night, the IDF confirmed there have been initial reports of explosions in the Israeli port city of Eilat, adding that the reports are "under review".

This came after the Houthis' military said their armed forces "will respond to Israel's blatant aggression and will not hesitate to strike the vital targets of the Israeli enemy." It added that Tel Aviv will be an "unsafe" area from now on.

The Houthis' spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam also said the Israeli raids won't stop the rebels' attacks "in support for Palestinians".

"Pressuring Yemen to stop supporting Gaza is a dream that will not come true for the enemy. This brutal aggression will only increase the determination, steadfastness, persistence, and continuation of the Yemeni people and their valiant armed forces in supporting Gaza," Abdulsalam said.

The Iran-backed rebels have seriously disrupted international commercial shipping in the Red Sea by attacking cargo ships and tankers since November. The US and Britain have retaliated several times against Houthi military targets without deterring the militia ruling over more than half of Yemen.

The situation escalated early Friday when the Israeli defense system, for the first time, failed to intercept a Houthi drone directed at Tel Aviv.

"An initial inquiry indicates that the explosion in Tel Aviv was caused by the falling of an aerial target, and no sirens were activated. The incident is under thorough review," the Israeli military said in a statement.

It was not clear how a relatively slow-moving drone evaded extensive Israeli air defenses. In April when Iran fired nearly 350 drones and missiles, 99% were intercepted and no real damage was reported.

The Houthis' drone attack on Tel Aviv came after the Israeli military confirmed it had killed a senior commander of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon.

In Friday comments which were published by the IDF following the attack on Houthis, the IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi said Israel is indeed "operating against Iran."

"Everything is connected. It's all Iran. This UAV is Iranian. The Houthis took it, upgraded it, made its range longer, and this is Iran, and the funds for the tunnels here is from Iran, and we are operating against Iran with great determination. In the end, it’s an octopus, it has many arms, you struggle with one arm here, you struggle with others there, and we must understand this matter. It demands excellence against each one. You have to really excel and be very effective in combat," he told Israeli troops in Rafah. "A professional operation here influences all of Iran’s proxies."