07/20/2024 – 15:19
The Israeli military confirmed that it had bombed Houthi positions in the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah on Saturday (20/07), a day after a drone launched by the rebels exploded over Tel Aviv, killing an Israeli civilian.
The attack came “in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu watched the attacks live with Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi sitting next to him, according to footage released by the president’s office an hour and a half after the attacks.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also followed the operation with Netanyahu and Halevi from the Air Force Command Center, an attack carried out “by Israeli planes on the port of Hodeidah, 2,000 kilometers from the State of Israel,” his ministry said in a statement.
“The fire currently burning in Yemen is seen across the Middle East. The first time the Houthis harmed an Israeli citizen, we attacked them. We will do so whenever necessary,” said Gallant, who approved the Hodeidah operation this morning after a meeting with the military leadership.
The minister noted that the Houthis have attacked Israel in recent months “more than 200 times,” adding that “the blood of Israeli citizens has a price.” “This has become clear in Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen and elsewhere: if they dare to attack us, the result will be identical,” he threatened.
Local media reported that Israel had sent F-35 planes to the port city, while numerous users posted videos on social media in which the aircraft were seen flying over the Red Sea, recorded in the southern Israeli city of Eilat.
An Iranian-made Sammad-3 drone launched from Yemen entered Tel Aviv airspace yesterday morning near the US embassy, exploding in mid-air in the heart of the city without any air raid alarms sounding.
The Houthis, who are backed by Israel’s arch-enemy Iran, also claimed responsibility for launching a ballistic missile and three other drones at Tel Aviv, which were intercepted by anti-aircraft batteries deployed by Washington in the region before reaching Israeli airspace, but a fourth drone exploded over the city.
Yesterday’s attack is the most far-reaching action by the Houthis against Israel since the rebels began attacking ships linked to the country in the Red Sea, as well as the southern city of Eilat, since November 19 last year, “in solidarity” with the militias in Gaza, although none were fatal or caused serious damage.
jps (EFE, ots)
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