Israeli military says it has struck several Houthi targets in Yemen in response to attacks
Houthi targets in western Yemen following a fatal drone attack by the rebel group in Tel Aviv the previous day.
The Israeli strikes appeared to be the first on Yemeni soil since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, and they threatened to open a new front in the region as Israel battles proxies of Iran.
A number of «military targets» were hit in the western port city of Hodeidah, a Houthi stronghold, the Israeli army said, adding that its attack was «in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the state of Israel in recent months.»
«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,» Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement.
An Israeli Defense Forces official didn't say how many sites were targeted, but told journalists that the port is the main entry point for Iranian weapons. The official didn't say whether other allied forces took part in the operation, and didn't confirm whether it was Israel's first attack on Yemen.
Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam posted on X that Yemen was subjected to a «blatant Israeli aggression» that targeted fuel storage facilities and the province's power station. He said the attacks aim «to increase the suffering of the people and to pressure Yemen to stop supporting Gaza.»
Abdulsalam said the attacks will only make the people of Yemen and its armed forces more determined to support Gaza. Mohamed Ali al-Houthi of the Supreme
