The confirmation was not long in coming. The Israeli army said it was behind airstrikes that targeted Hodeida, a Yemeni city under the control of Houthi rebels, on Saturday, July 20. “Recently, Israeli army fighter jets struck military targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the region of the port of Hodeida in Yemen, in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel” by these rebels in recent months, the army said in a statement.
The Houthis had earlier on Saturday accused the Jewish state of being behind the bombings. “The Israeli enemy’s raids on oil storage facilities in the port of Hodeidah” left several dead and wounded, the Houthi health ministry said in a statement carried by rebel-run media, without giving a specific toll.
Israel will “pay the price” for its strikes in Yemen, a Houthi official said shortly after Israel confirmed the origin of the strikes. These are the first strikes announced by Israel against the country.
Loud explosions were heard in the port city in war-torn western Yemen where the Houthis control large parts of the country, an AFP correspondent on the ground said. The strikes came a day after a drone attack claimed by the Houthis killed one person in Tel Aviv.
Attacks in the Red Sea since November
Claiming to act in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, which is embroiled in the war between Israel and Hamas, the Houthis have been carrying out attacks since November against merchant ships presented as being linked to Israel.
The attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, key shipping areas for global trade, have driven up insurance costs, prompting many shipping companies to sail via the southern tip of Africa, a much longer route.
In December, the United States, an ally of Israel, set up a multinational force to protect navigation in this strategic zone and, since January, with the help of London, has launched numerous strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.