Written by Clauda Tanios and Tala Ramadan
DUBAI (Reuters) – Israeli warplanes bombed a power station and two ports in Houthi-controlled Yemen on Friday in response to Houthi drone and missile strikes on Israel, and pro-Houthi media said at least one person was killed and nine wounded.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Iran-backed Houthi militia “is paying and will continue to pay a heavy price for its aggression against us.”
Al Masirah TV, the main Houthi-run news outlet, said a series of air strikes targeted the Red Sea port of Ras Issa and six others, the main port of Hodeidah, while Harf Sufyan district in Amran governorate came under air attack.
The outlet said that an employee at Ras Issa port was killed and six others were injured.
Earlier, the British security company Ambrey said that the air strikes on the port of Ras Issa targeted oil storage facilities near the shipping docks, although no commercial ships were reported to have been damaged.
The Houthi government spokesman, Hashem Sharaf al-Din, said after the attack that the supply of oil derivatives is stable.
Al Masirah TV reported that 13 air strikes also targeted the Haziz Central Power Station in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. She added that three citizens were injured, including a worker in Hazeez, and a number of homes were damaged.
An Israeli military statement confirmed the goals, saying the power plant served as a “central source of energy for the terrorist Houthi regime in its military activities.” She added that the targets that were struck were examples of “the Houthis' exploitation of civilian infrastructure.”
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said that in the past 48 hours, the Houthis launched three drones at the Israeli commercial center Tel Aviv, and more drones and missiles at the US aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea.
The Houthis have been targeting Israel, hundreds of kilometers to the north, as well as international shipping in waters near Yemen since November 2023 to support Palestinian militants in the war with Israel in Gaza.
Israel responded with air strikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, as did British and American forces in the region.
Netanyahu said last month that Israel was at the beginning of its campaign against the Houthis.
