The Israeli navy attacked docks in Yemen’s Houthi rebel-held port city of Hodeidah on Tuesday, striking sites that are crucial to handling aid shipments to the country.
It was the first time the Israeli navy has been involved in attacks against the Iran-backed Houthis. Israel launched two attacks on docks in Hodeidah, the Houthi-run Al Masirah TV channel reported.
The attacks come after the Israeli military on Monday called on people to leave the Houthi-controlled ports of Ras Isa, Hodeidah and Salif.
"Israeli navy missile ships struck terror targets belonging to the Houthi terrorist regime in the port of Hodeidah ... following the aggression of the Houthi terrorist regime towards the state of Israel, including the launch of surface-to-surface missiles and UAVs towards Israeli territory," the military said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The port is used to transfer weapons and is a further example of the Houthi terrorist regime’s cynical exploitation of civilian infrastructure in order to advance terrorist activities.”
Hodeidah has been the main entry point for food and other humanitarian aid since Yemen's civil war began in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa.
The Houthis have exchanged fire with Israel since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023. The rebels have also launched persistent missile and drone attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea, in what they describe as an effort to end Israel’s offensive in Gaza. The crisis has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the maritime corridor, which typically handles $1 trillion of goods a year.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened the Houthis with a naval and air blockade if their attacks continue. "We warned the Houthi terror organisation that if they continue to fire towards Israel, they will face a powerful response and will be subjected to a naval and aerial blockade," he said in a statement on X.
The US has also launched strikes on Houthi sites, but announced a ceasefire with the group early last month. President Donald Trump paused the attacks just before a trip to the Middle East, saying the rebels had “capitulated” to US demands. Israel was not part of the ceasefire deal.
American navy ships travelled through the Red Sea and Bab Al Mandeb strait “multiple times in recent days” without facing Houthi attacks, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said in a post on X early on Tuesday.
“These transits occurred without challenge and demonstrate the success of both Operation Rough Rider and the President’s peace through strength agenda,” he said, referring to an intense US bombing campaign against the Houthis between March and May.
In early May, Israel launched a devastating attack on Sanaa airport. Its general director, Khaled Al Shaief, said the strikes caused “extensive damage”.
The attacks involved 50 bombs and dozens of aircraft, the Israeli military said, adding that the airport was "fully disabled".
