Israel announced on Sunday that it conducted airstrikes targeting Houthi positions in Yemen in response to missile attacks launched by the Iran-aligned militants over the previous two days. The Israeli strikes resulted in at least four deaths and injured 29 others, according to a statement from the Houthi-run Health Ministry. Local residents reported that the bombings caused widespread power outages in much of the port city of Hodeidah.
In a statement, Israel’s military revealed that multiple aircraft, including fighter jets, targeted power plants and ports in Hodeidah and Ras Issa. This marked the second Israeli attack on Yemen in just over two months, following a previous strike in July that targeted Houthi military installations after a Yemeni drone attack on Tel Aviv killed one person.
“Over the past year, the Houthis have been operating under the direction and funding of Iran, and in cooperation with Iraqi militias, to attack the State of Israel, undermine regional stability, and disrupt global freedom of navigation,” the military’s statement said.
The Houthis, supported by Iran, have frequently launched missiles and drones at Israel, claiming they are doing so in solidarity with the Palestinians since the onset of the Gaza conflict that began with a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. In their latest action, the Houthis announced they had fired a ballistic missile toward Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv on Saturday, which Israel intercepted. Another missile was intercepted on Friday.
In a post on X, Mohammed Abdulsalam, a spokesperson for the Houthis, stated that the Israeli strikes on Sunday would not deter the group from “abandoning Gaza and Lebanon.”
Iran condemned the Israeli airstrikes, asserting they targeted civilian infrastructure. President Masoud Pezeshkian emphasized that Israel should not be permitted to attack nations in the Iran-aligned “Axis of Resistance” consecutively. The Houthi movement also expressed condolences for Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, an ally in the Iran-backed coalition opposing Israel, following his death in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.
