Click to see full-size image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched strikes on July 20 against the Houthi-controlled port of al-Hodeida in western Yemen in response to the group’s deadly drone attack that targeted the Israeli city of Tel Aviv a day earlier.
“Fighter jets struck military targets of the Houthi terror regime in the area of the Hodeida Port in Yemen, in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months,” the IDF said in a statement.
The strikes marked the first time the IDF has conducted strikes in Yemen. The attack was codenamed “Operation Outstretched Arm.”
At least a dozen IAF aircraft, including F-35 stealth fighter jets, F-15 fighters, reconnaissance aircraft and refueling planes were involved in the attack. Videos taken from the southernmost Israeli city of Eilat showed the Israeli warplanes making its way toward Yemen right before the strikes were reported.
The IDF alleged that al-Hodeida has been used by the Houthis repeatedly to bring in weapons from Iran, and therefore Israel saw it as a legitimate military target.
“This is a complex attack, one of the farthest and longest carried out by the Israeli Air Force. It required careful planning and preparation for a variety of possible threats in the area,” IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a press conference.
The airstrike targeted fuel depots, energy facilities and other facilities at the port. videos posted to social networks showed massive flames and smoke rising from the port.
Three people were killed and 87 wounded in the Israeli strikes, according to Yemen’s Al-Masirah TV, which is run by the Houthis.
Israel acted alone in the strike with no involvement from the United States or any other allies. However, Hebrew media said that Washington was informed of the attack along with Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Israel had threatened a response to the deadly drone attack on Tel Aviv early on July 19, which killed a man and wounded at least eight others. The IDF said that the Iranian-made drone launched by the Houthis was not intercepted by air defenses due to a “human error.”
In an initial response to the Israeli strikes, the Houthis announced on July 21 that they had fired multiple ballistic missiles at Eilat and struck the American-owned merchant vessel Pumba in the Red Sea. The group warned that its main response is yet to come.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces affirms that the response to the Israeli aggression against our country is inevitably coming and will be great and great, God willing,” Houthi military spokesman Brigade General Yahia Sarea said in a statement.
The IDF said that its Arrow 3 long-range air defenses system intercepted a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis outside of Israeli airspace. Sirens had sounded in Eilat amid fears of falling shrapnel. Video footage of the interception surfaced online.
The Houthis have been attacking ships linked to Israel and launching strikes against the country using drones and missiles since November in response to the Israeli war on the Palestinian Gaza Strip. The group made it clear that it won’t stop until the war is over.
All in all, the Israeli strikes on Yemen represent a major escalation. The Houthis will likely step up their attacks, further distracting the IDF from its war in Gaza and the clashes on the border with Lebanon.
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