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A Houthi response to Israeli strikes on the Yemeni Red Sea port of al-Hodeida is coming, the leader of the group, officially known as Ansar Allah, vowed in a televised speech on July 25.
A series of Israeli strikes hit al-Hodeida port on July 20, killing at least nine people and wounding more than 80 others. The strikes were a response to a Houthi drone attack on the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, which killed a man and wounded at least eight others.
“The response is inevitable,” Abdul Malik al-Houthi said.
The group’s attacks on Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip will continue and not be deterred by recent Israeli strikes, the leader stressed.
“Everything that happens from the side of the Israeli enemy will be more incentive for revenge,” he added.
The Houthis and their allies are reportedly preparing to attack sensitive targets in Israel in response to the strikes on al-Hodeida.
Al-Akhbar, citing sources close to the Houthis, reported earlier this week that the group had added new items to their “target bank.”
The Houthis, in cooperation with other Iran-backed groups Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria, are planning to hit the Israeli Mediterranean ports of Ashdod, Ashkelon and Haifa, in addition to the Red Sea port of Eilat, according to the Lebanese daily.
Over the last nine months, the Houthis have fired from Yemen more than 220 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and suicide drones at Israel, mostly toward Eilat, in response to the Israeli war on Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
During the same period, the group targeted dozens of vessels affiliated with Israel or owned by the United States and the United Kingdom in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Six American-made combat drones were also shot down by Houthi air defenses over Yemen and nearby waters.
The Houthis upcoming response could lead to more escalation by Israel and its allies, especially the U.S. and the UK who have launched hundreds of strikes against Yemen since January.
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