Illustrative image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
Israeli strikes hit on May 16 two key Red Sea ports controlled by the Houthis (Ansar Allah) in the western Yemeni province of al-Hodeida.
In a statement, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said that it struck infrastructure at the ports of al-Hodeidah and Salif in response to recent missile and drone attacks by the Houthis. Dozens of Israeli Air Force aircraft were involved in the strikes, including fighter jets, refuelers and spy planes, according to the military.
“These ports are used for the transfer of weapons and are another example of the cynical exploitation of civilian infrastructure by the Houthi terror regime to advance terror,” the military says.
The attack came a day after the Houthis launched a “hypersonic ballistic missile” at Ben Gurion Airport in central Israel. The IDF said that the missile was intercepted by air defenses. Still operations at Ben Gurion were disturbed. Debris from the missile also fell near a settlement in the occupied West Bank.
The ports of al-Hodeidah and Salif were both targeted by the IDF before, as was Sanaa International Airport in the Yemeni capital.
According to the IDF, the recent strikes on Yemen were carried out to “deepen the damage to the Houthis’ terror capabilities.”
The military later said that it will take the Houthis about a month to restore the two ports, which were hit by some 35 munitions. The goal was to “neutralize” the ports, to prevent the Houthis from bringing in more Iranian weapons, and to harm the group economically, according to the military.
Earlier in the week, the IDF called on civilians to evacuate the two ports in al-Hodeidah, along with a third one, Ras Isa, which was not targeted.
“In light of the Houthi terror regime’s use of these ports for terror purposes, the IDF reiterates its warning to those present at the ports to distance themselves and evacuate the area,” the military said.
An Israeli defense source told Army Radio that the IDF waited until the end of United States President Trump’s visit to the Middle East before launching its reprisal strikes on the Houthis.
The Houthi-run Al-Masirah news channel confirmed that the port of al-Hodeidah and Salif were hit by multiple strikes, without reporting any casualties.
Following the attack, Defense Minister Israel Katz threatens to eliminate Houthi leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, if the group continues to launch attacks against Israel.
“The IDF now struck and severely damaged the ports in Yemen that are under the control of the Houthi terror group. The airport in Sanaa also remains destroyed,” Katz said on the X social network.
“As we said, if the Houthis continue to fire missiles on Israel, they will suffer painful blows, and we will also strike the heads of terror just as we did to Deif and the Sinwars in Gaza, to Nasrallah in Beirut and Haniyeh in Tehran,” the minister continued, referring to the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah Israel has assassinated and attempted to kill.
“We will hunt down and eliminate Abdul-Malik al-Houthi in Yemen as well. We will defend ourselves by our own strength against any enemy,” he added.
The strikes will not likely deter the Houthis, who withstood a more powerful attack by the U.S. for over a month earlier this year. Israel, from its side, will not likely hesitate to assassinate Houthi leaders if it got the chance to. This won’t be easy, however.
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