IDF F-15, F-35, and other fighter jets carried out around ten airstrikes against Houthi military targets in the area of the Hodeidah Port in Yemen, according to a mix of IDF and foreign media reports Saturday evening.
Israeli airstrikes targeted oil refining facilities in Yemen's Hodeidah as well as Yemeni air force assets to disrupt the transport of Iranian weapons to Yemen and reportedly killed and wounded dozens of people.
Although the Houthis try to present the port as humanitarian, multiple top Israeli officials said that it is a shield for mixing massive weapons imports in with humanitarian aid.
Local sources in Yemen told Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen that there are power outages in several areas in Hodeidah as a result of the Israeli strikes that hit an electricity production plant.
Israel's Defense Ministry reported that discussions on approving the operational plans to strike in Yemen took place on Saturday morning under the lead of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, alongside IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and other senior defense officials.
Israel was clear that it had undertaken the attack without US help, though it had notified Washington in advance. There were also hints that allied Arab countries, like the Saudis, could have assisted in the use of their airspace or with refueling issues, something which has been long discussed.
On April 13-14, the Saudis assisted Israel with operational intelligence to shoot down Iran’s aerial attacks.
Yemen has fired over 200 times at Israel, with Jerusalem letting the US carry out most of its defense - until now.
Moreover, Yemen and Saudi Arabia have been in on-and-off conflicts over the last decade since the Houthis, with Iranian support, took over much of the country from its prior Sunni rulers.
Though they are not currently actively fighting, previously, Riyadh heavily bombed the Houthis, while the Iranian proxy caused serious damage to the Saudis with rocket, missile, and drone attacks.
But after Yemen’s attack on Tel Aviv, killing one and wounding around a dozen, Jerusalem decided that the Houthis, a proxy of Iran, had crossed a red line.
Israeli officials expect the Houthis to retaliate and are also weighing further attacks on Yemen as well as potential attacks on Iran, based on the idea that the Houthis are doing this at Tehran’s bidding. At the same time, the Islamic Republic gets to watch quietly from the sidelines.
The decision was reportedly approved during a cabinet meeting on Saturday.
According to Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, who quoted a senior American source, the incident was attributable to Israel, which reportedly conducted the operation alone.
The senior official reportedly said that the location of the strike was a military target used by the Houthis for gaining and storing weapons.
The explosions were massive and produced a huge cloud of smoke, part of Israel’s intention to try to deter the Houthis from further attacks.
Hodeida is controlled by the Houthis.
مشاهد أولية من الغارات المعادية على مدينة #الحديدة..#اليمن_يضرب_تل_ابيب #لستم_وحدكم pic.twitter.com/XwZhaeFQyr
— قناة المسيرة (@TvAlmasirah) July 20, 2024
Subsequent footage published by Al-Masirah was reported to show the aftermath of strikes on the refinery.
Houthi sources reportedly noted that their oil supply situation is stable and that they have a sufficient stock of oil derivatives.
According to the Houthi-run outlet, the health ministry reported that a number of people had been killed or wounded in the alleged strikes.
Israeli F-35s attack Houthi military targets
Al Mayadeen quoted a member of the Houthi's Political Bureau, Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, stating, "The Zionist entity will pay the price for targeting a civilian facility, and we will meet escalation with escalation."
Initial reports from Al-Masirah TV claimed the strikes were carried out by US and British forces before pivoting blame to Israel.
The Yemeni news organization, citing an official source, later stated that "Israeli enemy raids" targeted the Hodeidah governate's energy infrastructure as well as fuel tanks.
The explosions follow the drone strike in Tel Aviv that was attributed to the Houthis, which killed one and wounded ten.
Gallant said on Saturday that Israel struck the Houthis in Yemen in order to send a message after they harmed an Israeli citizen.
"The fire that is currently burning in Hodeidah, is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear," Gallant said in a statement. "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."
On Friday, Israeli officials told Ynet that "there will be a response to the shooting of the Iranian drone by the Houthis" and that they would not rule out the possibility of retaliatory action on Yemeni soil, saying such action was "on the table."
The Israeli strikes are the first time Israel has directly struck Yemen.
A senior Houthi official told N12 on Saturday night that "There is no doubt that the response to Israeli aggression will be strong and focused. Our forces have a large bank of targets inside and outside the Israeli entity, in addition to our forces that will continue to support Gaza by attacking deep within Israel, with military and naval operations."
Jerusalem Post Staff and Reuters contributed to this report.