Powerful airstrikes rocked the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, a day after Israeli officials vowed to retaliate for the drone strikes on Tel Aviv.
Yemen’s Houthi-run Al Masira television station reported on Saturday evening that airstrikes had targeted the city.
Images circulating on social media, which could not immediately be verified, showed heavy smoke and flames next to the port amid reports of attacks on oil depots and electricity facilities. Al-Masira said the attack on the oil facilities had resulted in deaths.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its fighter jets struck military targets in Yemen’s port of Hodeidah “in retaliation for hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months.”
The Houthis vowed to “torment” Israel with further attacks in retaliation for the latest attack.
According to Reuters, Al Masira TV initially reported that the attack on Hodeida was carried out by US and British forces but later removed that reference, as US and British forces have repeatedly attacked Hodeida, including last month.
Saudi Arabian media outlet Al Arabiya, citing anonymous sources, said the attack, which targeted fuel depots and an oil refinery at the port, was a joint operation between Israel, the United States and Britain, and involved 12 Israeli aircraft, including F-35 fighter jets.
The latest airstrikes in Hodeidah came after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed to “finish the fight” after a Houthi drone struck central Tel Aviv, killing one man and wounding 10. The Houthis quickly claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming to have used a new type of drone that cannot be detected by radar or air defense systems.
Israeli officials blamed “human error” and said the army was investigating what happened. Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari said the drone had been detected by air defence forces but not intercepted due to an “error.”
Local police said the drone exploded above an apartment building, sending blasts shaking the port city, killing one person and alarming residents over the rare attack.
Gallant pledged to bolster Israel’s air defenses after the attack, which comes amid an increase in Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel. The day after the drone attack, the IDF said a barrage of 40 rockets aimed at the occupied Golan Heights and Galilee had threatened Israel’s air defenses.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels, backed by Iran and controlling much of the country’s western west, including the coastline, have targeted shipping in the Gulf of Aden and disrupted maritime activity in the Red Sea for months in retaliation for Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Earlier this month, Israel used a fighter jet to shoot down a suspected Houthi drone heading towards the Red Sea port of Eilat, while Houthi attacks on shipping have disrupted operations at Israel’s main ports.
The United States and Britain have repeatedly struck the port city of Hodeidah in retaliation, despite the group’s vows to continue attacks as long as the war in Gaza continues.
Since October, Israeli air strikes, naval attacks and artillery shelling have killed more than 38,000 people.
