This Saturday, July 20, the Israeli army affirms that its ” fighter planes » have struck « military targets ” in Hodeida, a city in western Yemen under the control of the Houthi rebels, allied with Hamas. The latter had claimed responsibility the day before for a drone attack that left one dead in Tel Aviv. This is the first Israeli attack on Yemen. According to the Houthi Health Ministry, at least 80 people were injured. Most of them are suffering from ” severe burns “.
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Huge plumes of black smoke rose into the sky over Hodeidah late Saturday afternoon. Israeli F35s and F16s took part in the attack, carried out by the Israeli army on this city controlled by the Houthis, and were refueled in the open air, our correspondent in Jerusalem points out, Michel Paul. The port of Hodeida, the most important in Yemenoil infrastructure and other strategic sites such as a power plant were targeted.
The port attacked by the Israeli air force serves as a ” main supply route for Iranian weapons shipments from Iran to Yemen, starting with the drone used in Friday morning’s attack ” in Tel Aviv, army spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a televised address. The raid is a “ response to the hundreds of attacks against the State of Israel ” by Houthi rebels in recent months, the Israeli army said in a statement.
” We fully recognize Israel’s right to self-defense ” assured a spokesman for the American National Security Council, stressing that the United States, an ally of Israel, “ were not involved in the strikes » on Hodeida.
” We will defend ourselves by all means, on all fronts. Whoever attacks us will pay a very heavy price for his aggression. “, assertsBenjamin Netanyahu in a televised speech. The blood of Israeli citizens has a price “, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement published after the strikes. This has been clearly demonstrated in Lebanonhas Gazain Yemen and other places: if they dare to attack us, the result will be the same ” he stipulated.
These airstrikes mark a change in strategy on the part ofIsraelthe day after the drone attack that hit the center of Tel Aviv. They confirm Yoav Gallant’s threats of retaliation against the Yemeni rebels, supported by theIran. “ As we have proven to this day, this time again the defense and security system [israélien] will make anyone who tries to harm Israel or sends terrorists against it pay decisively and by surprise ” wrote the Minister of Defense in a message on his X account (ex-Twitter).
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Israel ” will pay the price »
These strikes announce ” a new dangerous phase in the confrontation throughout the region “, warned in a statement the Hezbollahsupported by Iran and its Palestinian and Yemeni allies.
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthis’ political bureau, warned that Israel ” will pay the price for targeting civilian facilities.” “We will respond to escalation with escalation ” he said. We will not hesitate to strike vital targets of the Israeli enemy “We are going to have to do this,” threatened Yahya Saree, the insurgents’ military spokesman.
Claiming to act in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, embroiled in the war between Israel and Hamas, the Houthis have been carrying out attacks on merchant ships they claim are linked to Israel since November 2023. The attacks, in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, maritime zones essential to global trade, have driven up insurance costs. They are prompting many shipping companies to sail via the southern tip of Africa, a much longer route.
In December 2023, the UNITED STATESallies of Israel, have set up a multinational force to protect navigation in this strategic area. They have also launched, since January 2024, with the help of London, numerous strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.
In recent months, the Houthis have also claimed several attacks targeting the Israeli city of Eilat on the Red Sea, but the vast majority of the projectiles have been intercepted.
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