Israeli airstrikes reportedly hit Houthi targets in Yemen on Friday, according to various foreign media outlets. The attacks were launched by the Israeli Air Force in the city of Al-Hudeidah, a port on Yemen’s western coast, in retaliation for ongoing rocket attacks aimed at Israel.
Military sources say the strikes focused on three strategic maritime facilities—Al-Hudeidah, Ras Isa, and Al-Salif—locations Israel had previously identified as potential threats and urged be cleared of hostile elements. These sites have been tied to the Houthis’ weapons trafficking and military offensives.
Nasr al-Din Amer, a high-ranking member of the Houthi leadership, responded defiantly: “We are in an open battle against Israel and we will not stop our attacks nor lift the siege on the Gulf of Eilat, and we will not cease our efforts to continue the aerial siege on Israeli airports. We will expand our military activity alongside the expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and its continued attacks against the ports of Yemen.”
This latest operation represents the eighth time Israel has struck inside Yemen since the war began, and the third such strike following the recent escalation in Gaza. In the ten days since the last air raid, Houthi militants have launched seven ballistic missiles along with two unmanned aerial vehicles toward Israel.
At the same time, Israeli forces are executing a major offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The decision to launch the latest round of airstrikes followed the Houthis’ firing of another long-range missile on Thursday night. While the Arrow 3 missile defense system successfully intercepted the projectile, air raid sirens blared across central Israel at 9:10 PM, affecting residents in the Dan Region, the Sharon area, the Shfela lowlands, and sections of Judea and Samaria. The warning disrupted Lag BaOmer festivities, cutting into the evening’s bonfire gatherings enjoyed by families and children.
The missile incident also forced a temporary freeze on air travel at Ben Gurion Airport, suspending departures and arrivals. Fragments from the intercepted missile were later found in the Gush Etzion area, specifically in Alon Shvut.
This marked the second missile fired by the Houthis within a 48-hour period. On Wednesday morning, a similar projectile triggered sirens at 7:44 AM in the Yerushalayim region, Judea and Samaria, and Shfela as children were on their way to school. That attack was also thwarted by Israeli defenses.
The Israeli military had earlier warned that the Houthi-controlled ports posed a serious threat and needed to be vacated. With this latest operation, Israel appears to be moving beyond verbal warnings, taking decisive steps to directly eliminate the danger posed from Yemeni territory.
{Matzav.com}