Israel Responds to Houthi Drone Strike with Air Raids on Yemen's Hodeidah

 Israel Strikes Houthis in Yemen After Drone Hits Tel Aviv

Israel launched air strikes on the Houthi-controlled Red Sea port of Hodeidah in Yemen, following a drone attack by the group that struck Tel Aviv. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant stated the operation aimed to send a clear message to the Houthi movement.

"The fire currently burning in Hodeidah is seen across the Middle East, and the significance is clear," Gallant said.

Houthi-linked news outlets reported three fatalities and over 80 injuries from the strikes, which Houthi official Mohammed Abdulsalam condemned as "brutal Israeli aggression against Yemen."

On Sunday morning, the Israeli military announced the interception of a missile fired from Yemen before it entered Israeli airspace. Air sirens were activated in Israel's Red Sea port of Eilat due to potential falling shrapnel.

Abdulsalam claimed the Israeli strikes were intended to pressure the Houthis to cease supporting Palestinians in Gaza, asserting that such support would continue.

This marks Israel's first direct retaliation to what it claims have been hundreds of Yemeni drone and missile attacks targeting its territory in recent months. Footage from Hodeidah showed large fires burning on Saturday evening. The Houthi-run government in Sanaa reported that Israel struck oil storage facilities near the shore and a nearby power plant.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, "After nine months of continuous aerial attacks by the Houthis in Yemen toward Israel, IAF [Israeli Air Force] fighter jets conducted an extensive operational strike over 1,800km [1,118 miles] away against Houthi terrorist military targets" in the port area of Hodeidah. The operation was codenamed Outstretched Arm.

Gallant emphasized that Israeli jets targeted the group in response to harm caused to Israeli citizens. "The Houthis attacked us over 200 times. The first time they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do this in any place where it may be required," he said.

Following the attacks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel would defend itself "by all means." He declared, "Anyone who harms us will pay a very heavy price for their aggression," alleging that the port served as an entry point for Iranian weapons and demonstrating that Israel could reach any adversary.

The drone attack on Friday hit a block of flats in Tel Aviv, killing a 50-year-old man who had recently moved from Belarus and injuring eight others. The Israeli military reported that the drone was an Iranian-made UAV modified for long-distance flight. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack and vowed to continue such actions.

The Houthi Supreme Political Council, the movement's executive body, promised an "effective response" to the Israeli airstrikes. While Israel has not previously struck the Houthis in Yemen, the US and UK have been conducting air strikes against the group for months to prevent attacks on commercial shipping in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. The Houthis initially targeted ships linked to Israel, but have also attacked vessels connected to the UK and US.