ReutersIsrael said that its fighter jets carried out a series of strikes against military targets in Yemen belonging to the Iran-backed Houthi movement.
An Israeli military spokesman said that the targets included ports on the Red Sea and energy infrastructure in the capital, Sanaa.
The Houthi-run Al-Masirah Channel reported that nine people were killed in Al-Salif Port and Ras Issa Oil Port, both in Hodeidah Governorate.
The raids came hours after a missile fired from Yemen was intercepted over central Israel. A school and several cars were damaged in Ramat Gan, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.
The Houthis, who control northwestern Yemen, began attacking Israel and international shipping shortly after the Gaza war began in October 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.
The Israeli military says hundreds of missiles and drones have since been launched into the country from Yemen, most of which were intercepted.
Environmental Protection AgencyIn the early hours of Thursday, Israelis in Tel Aviv and the surrounding area rushed for shelter after air defenses shot down an incoming missile.
The Israeli army said that a missile was launched from Yemen towards Israeli territory, and that damage to a school in the Ramat Eifel neighborhood in Ramat Gan was determined after it was intercepted. She added that no injuries were reported.
The Israeli army is investigating whether the school building collapsed after being hit by part of the missile or fragments of the interceptor missile. Education Minister Yoav Kisch said he believed it was “a direct hit with a warhead, most likely after it was intercepted.”
Two hours after the attack, the Israeli army announced that its fighter planes bombed Houthi military targets on and inside the western coast of Yemen.
According to the Houthi-run Al-Masirah channel, seven people were killed in an Israeli raid on the Salif port on the Red Sea, while two people were killed and another wounded at the nearby Ras Issa oil station. Two others were reportedly injured in Hodeidah port, to the south.
The TV channel also said that the power stations in Hayz and Dhahban, south and north of Sanaa, were bombed.
The Director of the General Electricity Corporation, Mishal Al-Rifi, was quoted as saying that local electricity supplies were affected by the damage to electricity distribution stations and fuel tanks.
Israeli army spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said, “The Houthis carried out attacks against Israel in violation of international law, and the Houthi regime poses a threat to peace and security in the region.”
“Today, the Israeli military launched precision strikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen – including ports and energy infrastructure in Sanaa, which the Houthis are using in ways that have effectively contributed to their military actions.”
An Israeli military official said the operation was “planned” and that the 14 planes and other aircraft involved were “already in the air” when the Houthis fired their missile, according to the Financial Times.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Houthi leaders that “Israel's long hand will extend to you as well.”
He added, “Whoever raises his hand against the State of Israel will have his hand cut off. Whoever harms us will be harmed seven times.”
Environmental Protection AgencyThe Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said that the group fired two “hypersonic” ballistic missiles at “two sensitive military targets” in the Tel Aviv area at the same time as the Israeli strikes, and that the operation “successfully achieved its goals.”
He added, “The Israeli aggression will not deter Yemen and the Yemenis from performing their religious and moral duty in responding to its massacres in the Gaza Strip, as well as responding to this brutal aggression by continuing to support and strike all hostile targets with appropriate weapons.” He added.
This is the third direct attack launched by Israel against the Houthis within five months.
In July, the Israeli military struck Hodeidah port and oil infrastructure after a Houthi drone attack killed one person in Tel Aviv. Hodeidah was bombed again in September after a Houthi missile targeted Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv.
The United States and the United Kingdom also carried out strikes on Houthi weapons and other military targets over the past year in response to attacks on global shipping in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
US Central Command said on Monday that it had targeted a “key command and control facility” in Sanaa that was a center for coordinating attacks.
The Houthis have targeted dozens of commercial ships with missiles, drones, and small boat attacks since November 2023. They sank two ships, captured a third, and killed four crew members.
They say they are working to support the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. They have claimed – often falsely – to only target ships associated with Israel, the US or the UK.
