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Israeli Air Force strikes Houthi port in Yemen in response to drone strike on Tel Aviv
There are unconfirmed reports that the US and UK jointly took part in the military response
July 21, 2024 09:26
There are unconfirmed reports that the US and UK jointly took part in the military response
July 21, 2024 09:26The Israeli Air Force struck the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida in Yemen on Saturday, the day after the Iranian proxy group sent a drone to Tel Aviv killing one Israeli and injuring at least ten more.
Israel’s retaliatory strike, intended to prevent Iranian weapon shipments and to financially damage the Houthis, targeted fuel depots and other facilities, resulting in three deaths and approximately 87 injuries, according to Houthi media.
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have been targeting ships and shipping vessels for months, but Friday’s drone attack was the group’s first fatal attack on Israel.
A residential building in Central Tel Aviv was struck by an Iranian UAV launched from Yemen, leading to at least one civilian casualty and many injured.
We will continue operating to better protect Israelis against terrorism on all fronts. pic.twitter.com/SqGdcDRVT7
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that after nine months of “continuous” aerial attacks by Houthis in Yemen, Israeli Air Force fighter jets “conducted an extensive operational strike over 1,800km (1,100miles) away against Houthi terrorist military targets in the area of the port of Hodeidah.”
After Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv, reports and footage out of Yemen of air strikes hitting Hodeida
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) July 20, 2024
🎥 — Video used in accordance with clause 27A of Israeli copyright law pic.twitter.com/d2uE16ZzQ1
Gallant added that the IDF is “capable of operating anywhere required and will strike any force that endangers Israelis. The Houthis attacked us over 200 times. The first time that they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do this in any place where it may be required.”
Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya reported, citing unnamed sources, that the United States and the United Kingdom jointly took part in the strikes, which targeted oil refineries and fuel depots, using F-35 fighter jets.
An Israeli airstrike is precisely what the #Houthis have long sought to legitimise their power consolidation. This event offers a pretext for increased repression of the population & violence in #Yemen and beyond. The Houthis excel at inviting conflict to sustain their authority. https://t.co/EfZlk4reZF
— Nadwa Dawsari (@Ndawsari) July 20, 2024
Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hodeidah was “not an innocent port” because it was used for military purposes and as an entry point for deadly weapons supplied to the Houthis by Iran.
“The Israeli enemy’s raids on oil storage facilities in the port of Hodeida” have lead to deaths and injuries, the health ministry said in a statement carried by Houthi-run media, without specifying a toll. pic.twitter.com/l2sso6UyHg
— Oman Observer 🇴🇲 (@OmanObserver) July 20, 2024
The strike “makes clear to our enemies that there is no place that the long arm of the state of Israel will not reach,” he said.
Netanyahu also called for international action against the Houthis. “The international community must redouble its efforts to protect this vital waterway and to hold both the Houthis and their Iranian sponsors accountable for their aggression,” he said. “To Israel’s enemies, I have a simple message: Do not doubt Israel’s determination to defend itself on every front. All those who seek to harm us will pay a heavy price for their aggression.”
So, Israel is bombing my country Yemen. And now the Yemenis will start vilifying and hating Israel even more, even though it is the terrorist Houthis who started this war.
— Luai Ahmed (@JustLuai) July 20, 2024
Yet another Middle Eastern war that WE start and end up blaming Israel for.
The Israeli military said it tracked the fatal drone for six minutes but failed to intercept it due to human error. The Iranian-made Samad-3 drone travelled over 2,000km to enter Israel from the Mediterranean Sea. The IDF is investigating why no interception occurred.
A senior Houthi official said there would be “no doubt” that the group’s response to the Israeli airstrike will be “strong and targeted”.
“Our forces have a large bank of targets within Israel and beyond. Additionally, our forces will continue to support Gaza by attacking Israel with military and naval operations,” the spokesperson said.
Hodeida lies on Yemen’s western coast overlooking the Red Sea and is the country’s fourth biggest city