Israeli fighter jets strike Hodeidah،1st time following deadly Houthi drone attack Tel Aviv

Israeli fighter jets struck Houthi military targets in the area of Hodeidah port in Yemen and at least 3 people died and more than 80 people were wounded، most with severe burns، in airstrikes that targeted oil facilities and a power station at Hodeidah، a day after a drone launched by the Iranian-backed group hit Israel's economic hub Tel Aviv.

Israeli fighter jets struck Houthi military targets in the area of Hodeidah port in Yemen and hit the targets، more than 1،700 km (1،056 miles) from Israel، included dual-use sites such as energy infrastructure and Israel F-15 jet fighters struck several targets in the Houthi-controlled port city of Hodeidah، which set fuel tanks ablaze and damaged and Israel shoots down a missile fired from Yemen hours after a deadly Israeli strike on Houthi rebels.

Israeli fighter jets intensive bombardment on Hodeidah

Al-Masirah TV، the main television news outlet run by Yemen's Houthi movement، quoted the health ministry as saying that Hodeidah residents told Reuters by phone that explosions were heard throughout the city during an Israeli fighter jets intensive bombardment and civil defence forces and firefighters were trying to extinguish fires in the port's oil tanks.

Israel's military spokesperson said Israeli fighter jets struck Houthi military targets in the area of Hodeidah port in Yemen as the port had been used by the Houthis to receive weapons shipments from Iran.

Israeli fighter jets killed 6 people in the air raids against the port city which come a day after a drone attack by the Yemeni group killed one person in Tel Aviv، while Israel authorities are investigating the circumstances and potential security lapses around a deadly drone blast in Tel Aviv that killed one man and injured at least 10 others on Friday.

Israeli fighter jets struck Houthi military targets after its attack in Tel Aviv

Israeli fighter jets struck Houthi military targets in the area of Hodeidah port in Yemen after the attack in Tel Aviv was claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels، in what the Iranian proxy group said was a response to Israel’s war in Gaza and Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sare’e said the operation was performed by a new drone capable of bypassing the enemy’s interception systems.

Israeli fighter jets struck Houthi military targets after Houthi spokesperson announced that they will continue to strike these targets in response to the enemy’s massacres and daily crimes against their brothers in the Gaza Strip، and their operations will only cease when the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted.

The attack Israeli fighter jets targets in the area of Hodeidah port in Yemen

The attack Israeli fighter jets targets in the area of Hodeidah port in Yemen and oil tanks burn at the port in Hodeidah، after the attack in Tel Aviv marked the first time Tel Aviv، Israel’s commercial center، has been struck by a drone in an attack claimed by the Houthis، while the Israeli military said that the surface-to-surface missile fired Sunday was intercepted before reaching Israeli territory.

For the first time، Israeli fighter jets struck Houthi military targets inside Yemen، following a deadly drone attack launched by Houthi rebels on Tel Aviv and the Israeli military said it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen early Sunday، hours after Israeli warplanes struck several Houthi targets in the Arabian Peninsula country.

Houthis have been targeting shipping in the Red Sea in solidarity with Gaza

Since the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel، the Houthis have been targeting shipping in the Red Sea in solidarity with Gaza and after Israel struck back inside Yemen، the Houthis said they launched a fresh barrage of missiles towards Israel، promising a response that will be huge and great.

Direct attacks on each other’s soil between the Israeli military and the Iran-backed rebel group now risk creating a new front in a conflict that already threatened to spill over into the region، with Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam describing the situation as open war.

The Israeli airstrikes، in response to a deadly Houthi drone strike on Tel Aviv were the first time Israel is known to have responded to repeated Houthi attacks throughout its nine-month war against Hamas and the burst of violence between the distant enemies has threatened to open a new front as Israel battles a series of Iranian proxies across the region.

Israeli fighter jets confirmed the airstrikes in the western Yemeni port city of Hodeidah

The Israeli army late Saturday confirmed the airstrikes in the western Yemeni port city of Hodeidah، a Houthi stronghold and crucial entry point for aid and other supplies، and the strikes، carried out by dozens of aircraft، including U.S.-made F-15 and F-35 warplanes، were a response to hundreds of Houthi attacks.

The Health Ministry in Yemen said the Israeli strikes killed six people and wounded 83 others، many with severe burns from a major fire and another three people were missing، the ministry said in a statement shared by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

Blatant Israeli fighter jets aggression targeted fuel storage facilities on Hodeidah

Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam posted on X that the “blatant Israeli fighter jets aggression” targeted fuel storage facilities and the province’s power station as the Israeli enemy picked those targets specifically as part of their targeting of the Yemeni economy، said Abdul-Malek al-Houthi، leader of the rebels.

Israel، along with the U.S.، the U.K. and other Western allies with forces in the region، have intercepted almost all of the Houthi missiles and drones، but early Friday، a Houthi drone penetrated Israel’s air defenses and crashed into Tel Aviv، Israel’s commercial and cultural capital، killing one person، while an Israeli air force official said Sunday that human error accidentally classified the drone as a non-threat as Israel was simultaneously tracking other drones launched from Yemen and approaching Israel from the east.

Strike of Israeli fighter jets on Hodeidah among the most complicated and longest-distance operations

The Israeli military said Saturday's strike on Hodeidah، about 1،700 kilometers (more than 1،000 miles) from Israel، was among the most complicated and longest-distance operations by its air force as well as hit the port because the area is used to deliver Iranian arms to Yemen، while Israel’s defense minister، Yoav Gallant، vowed to carry out similar strikes in any place where it may be required.

In addition to fighting Hamas، the Israeli military has been engaged in daily clashes with the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. These clashes have raised concerns that the fighting could spill over into a full-blown war with Lebanon and beyond.

The Houthis said Israel's attacks will only make Yemen’s people and armed forces more determined to support Gaza. “There will be impactful strikes،” Mohamed Ali al-Houthi of the Supreme Political Council in Yemen wrote on X، adding that all of this won’t stop the Yemeni people or the Yemeni leadership، military and missile forces in targeting the Israeli entities.

U.S. and U.K. forces with Israeli fighter jets have been striking targets in Yemen

Since January، U.S. and U.K. forces have been striking targets in Yemen، in response to the Houthis’ attacks on commercial shipping that the rebels have described as retaliation for Israel’s actions in the war in Gaza، however، many of the ships targeted weren’t linked to Israel.

Analysts and Western intelligence services have long accused Iran of arming the Houthis، a claim Tehran denies and the joint force airstrikes so far have done little to deter them but the Houthis have long-range ballistic missiles، smaller cruise missiles and suicide drones، all capable of reaching southern Israel، according to weapons experts and the Houthis are open about their arsenal، regularly parading new missiles through the streets of Sanaa.

The war in Gaza heightened tensions between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah

The war in Gaza has already been accompanied by significantly heightened tensions between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The two sides have been trading cross-border fire since October 8، when Hezbollah fired at three Israeli border posts in solidarity with Palestinians.

Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on Sunday in a televised address on Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV that the group intended to continue “the fifth stage of escalation in support of Gaza and Friday’s drone attack on Tel Aviv signaled the beginning of that stage.

Rising tensions with the Houthis undoubtedly creates fresh challenges for Israel

But while rising tensions with the Houthis undoubtedly creates fresh challenges for Israel، Hezbollah remains the bigger threat given its extensive arsenal and proximity to Israel، while Yoel Guzansky، a senior fellow at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) who has served on Israel’s National Security Council، told CNN he believes Israel has until now been restrained in its response.

He believes Israeli fighter jets was trying to send a signal to the US and the international community that “enough is enough،” and deliberately chose a target with high visibility and any increase in hostilities between Israel and Iran’s proxies is seen as deeply destabilizing in the region because it could push the two countries closer towards open warfare.