A drone from Yemen hit the heart of the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv. Now Israel is retaliating. An important port is going up in flames.
One day after the Houthi militia’s deadly drone attack on Tel Aviv, Israel’s military said it responded with a direct counterattack in Yemen. “Israeli fighter jets have attacked military targets of the Houthi terror regime in the port of Hudaida,” the military announced on its Telegram channel. It was a response “to hundreds of attacks on Israel in recent months.” The military does not provide information on deaths or injuries in such cases.
Two Houthi spokesmen confirmed an Israeli attack on “civilian facilities” in Yemen. The targets were oil and electricity facilities. A fire broke out at the important port. The Houthi-affiliated television station Al-Masirah reported, citing the health authority, that several people had been killed. Houthi military spokesman Jahja Sari said the militia was preparing for a “long war” with Israel.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari announced that Israel carried out the airstrike alone and that allies such as the United States were not involved.
Images on social media showed a major fire at the port, with high flames and a dark column of smoke in the sky. According to the Saudi-funded news channel Al-Arabiya, 12 Israeli aircraft were involved in the attack, including F-35 fighter jets.
Yemen has been ravaged by a civil war and a serious humanitarian crisis for years, with around 80 percent of the population dependent on some form of aid. According to UN figures, around 70 percent of all imports and 80 percent of all humanitarian aid enter the country via the strategically important port of Hudaida on the Red Sea.
On Friday, a combat drone struck the center of Tel Aviv, killing one man and injuring at least eight other people. The explosive-laden drone hit a residential building, the Magen David Adom rescue service reported on the online platform X. According to the army, the long-range drone came from Yemen. The Houthi militia spoke of an attack on an “important target” in Tel Aviv. Israel’s Defense Minister Joav Galant announced retaliation.
For months, the Houthi militia has been attacking merchant ships in the region that are allegedly linked to Israel. The militia, which is allied with Iran, says it is acting out of solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza war. The militia has also directly attacked Israeli targets with rockets and drones, including the port city of Eilat. However, most of these missiles were repelled.
