Israel's strikes on Yemen: What we know so far
The Israeli military conducted a series of air strikes on what it said were Houthi targets in western Yemen on Sunday, sharpening fears about a regional conflict amid Israel's ongoing bombing campaign in Lebanon.
In a statement, the army said “dozens of air force aircraft” struck power plants and sea port facilities at the Ras Isa and Hodeidah ports. The attacks killed at least four people - including a port worker and three electrical engineers - and wounded 30 others, according to Yemen’s ministry of health.
In a post on X, the military claimed that the targeted sites were being used by the Houthis to transfer Iranian weapons into the region.
The port cities are vital lifelines for millions of Yemenis to access food and humanitarian aid.
According to Human Rights Watch, 80 percent of humanitarian aid to Yemen flows through the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and as-Salif.
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The assault comes after Yemen’s Houthis said its fighters launched a long range missile and a drone on the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Ashkelon on Friday, which the Israeli army said its air defence systems intercepted outside its borders.
In a statement, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree pledged the group will continue its attacks on Israel “in triumph for the blood of our people in Palestine and Lebanon, and will not stop supportive military operations during the coming days until the Israeli aggression on Gaza and Lebanon stops”.
A Houthi official reportedly suggested that the attack was in response to an Israeli strike on Thursday that killed the head of Hezbollah’s aerial forces, Mohammed Srur.
Since Israel’s onslaught on Gaza began in October, the Houthis have repeatedly launched attacks on Israel and on Israeli-affiliated ships in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in solidarity with Gaza.
The group is now demanding that Israel halt its deadly bombing campaign in Lebanon, which has killed more than 700 people since Monday.
In July, the Houthis launched a drone at Tel Aviv for the first time, killing one person and injuring 10 others.
Israeli forces retaliated by attacking Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah, a move that Human Rights Watch said could constitute a war crime.
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