Israel's military confirmed Saturday that it bombed sites affiliated with the Houthi militia in Yemen, a day after the military group's explosive drone killed a man in Israel's Tel Aviv.
The Yemeni Houthi military group claimed that the strike targeted oil storage and electric facilities in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, and several people were either killed or injured, the group's al-Masirah TV reported.
Israeli military said in a statement that its fighter jets targeted "military targets" of the Houthi militia, as a response to "the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months".
The statement came after Houthi top negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam said the Israeli strikes would not stop the military group from targeting "Israeli cities and ships."
"According to a statement issued by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday evening, the Israeli military's airstrike was both a response to the Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv on Friday and a response to ongoing Houthi attacks on Israel since the outbreak of the Palestine-Israel conflict last year. In addition, Netanyahu emphasized that the airstrike also sent a signal to Israel's enemies that no matter how far away they are, Israel can strike them," said Zhao Bing, a reporter from China Media Group (CMG).
Hodeidah residents said a big column of black smoke and fire at the scene could be seen miles away. Fire trucks and ambulances rushed to the scene as the authorities cordoned off the area near the Red Sea, said the residents.
Local health authorities have yet to reveal the exact number of casualties, the Houthi-run TV said.
The alleged strikes came a day after the Houthi group claimed responsibility for a bomb-laden drone attack on a building in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, which according to Israeli media killed one person and injured 10 others.
The Houthis said the Friday drone attack came in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip currently under Israeli offensive. Before that, the Houthis had continued a series of drone and missile attacks against what it called Israeli-linked shipments in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November 2023 in a way to show solidarity with Gaza.
In response, the U.S.-British naval coalition in the waters attacked Houthi targets to deter the group, but only led to Houthi expansion of attacks to include U.S. and British commercial and military ships.
"Local Israeli media reported that before the airstrike, the Israeli government held an internal meeting to receive briefings from the security agencies. The briefing indicated that Israeli airstrike on the Houthi militants could lead to a series of subsequent reactions. However, to have a binary choice between 'reciprocal strikes' and 'exercising restraint', Israel would be better off responding to maintain its deterrent against regional adversaries. An Israeli senior official told the media that the Houthi attack on Tel Aviv on Friday 'crossed Israel's red lines', and 'the days of Israel exercising restraint are over'," said Zhao.
Hodeidah has been under the control of the Houthi group along with several northern cities, including the capital Sanaa, since late 2014, driving the internationally recognized government out to the southern and eastern provinces.
Israel bombs Houthi oil sites in Yemen's Hodeidah, killing several people
Israel bombs Houthi oil sites in Yemen's Hodeidah, killing several people
Israel bombs Houthi oil sites in Yemen's Hodeidah, killing several people
