Israeli Jets Bomb Sites in Yemen Linked to Iran-Backed Houthi Militia

Israeli fighter jets bombed sites in Yemen affiliated with the Iran-backed Houthi militia on Saturday in retaliation for a deadly drone attack in Tel Aviv a day earlier, the Israeli military said. It was the first time Israel has publicly attacked the group in months of escalating tensions.

The Israeli airstrikes targeted gas and oil depots and a power station in the area of Yemen’s Red Sea port of Hodeidah, two regional officials said. The port is controlled by the Houthis and contains oil export facilities, but also serves as a vital conduit for civilian goods and humanitarian aid to impoverished Yemen.

An Israeli military statement said that fighter jets struck targets near the port “in response to the hundreds of attacks” by the Houthis in recent months. The military said it was not tightening its emergency civil defense regulations after the attack, indicating Israeli officials might not expect a more serious escalation.

Nasruddin Amer, a Houthi spokesman, said a response by the group was “inevitable.”

“Our country is at war with the enemy Zionist entity and it will not stop its operations in support of Gaza,” he wrote on social media. “Rather, it will escalate the operations.”

On Friday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for firing a long-range drone that hit the coastal city of Tel Aviv, killing one Israeli and wounding several others.

The Houthis have lobbed hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel in what they call a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, as well as menacing passing ships in an effort to blockade the Israeli port of Eilat.