Israel Launches Air Strikes on Yemen’s Houthi Movement Following Tel Aviv Drone Attack
Israel has carried out air strikes against the Houthi movement in Yemen, marking a significant escalation following a drone attack on Tel Aviv barely 24 hours ago.
The drone, launched by the Houthis, struck a residential building in Tel Aviv on Friday, resulting in the death of a 50-year-old man recently arrived from Belarus and injuring eight others.
Israel’s Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, declared that the strikes were intended to send a decisive message to the Houthi group.
“The fire that is currently burning in Hodeidah is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear,” Gallant told BBC, referencing the targeted city in Yemen.
The air strikes focused on the Houthi-controlled Red Sea port of Hodeidah on Saturday evening.
Dramatic footage from the scene depicted massive fires raging through the area.
According to the Houthi-run government in Sana’a, the strikes hit oil storage facilities and a nearby power plant, causing civilian casualties.
Houthi official, Mohammed Abdulsalam, condemned the Israeli actions, describing them as “brutal Israel aggression against Yemen.”
Abdulsalam suggested that the strikes were an attempt to pressure the Houthis to cease their support for Palestinians in Gaza, a demand he insisted would not be met.
This incident marks the first direct Israeli retaliation to what it claims are numerous Yemeni drone and missile attacks over recent months.
Gallant explained that the decision to strike was in direct response to the first attack that resulted in an Israeli casualty.
“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,” he asserted.
The drone attack on Tel Aviv involved an Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that had been modified for long-distance flight, according to an Israeli military official.
Despite detecting the incoming drone, the Israeli defense forces failed to intercept it due to “human error,” a rare lapse given that most Houthi missiles and drones targeting Israel have been successfully intercepted.
While Israel has not previously targeted the Houthis in Yemen, the United States and United Kingdom have been conducting airstrikes against the group in an effort to prevent attacks on commercial shipping in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
The Houthis initially claimed they were targeting vessels connected to Israel but have since expanded their attacks to include ships linked to the UK and US.
This latest exchange reveals the volatile situation in the Middle East, with the Houthi movement and Israel now directly engaging in military conflict, further complicating the region’s intricate web of alliances and hostilities.
