Israeli airstrikes target Yemen’s Houthis day after deadly drone attack in Tel Aviv
CNN
By Thom Poole and Sophie Tanno, CNN
(CNN) — Israeli airstrikes targeted Houthi rebels in Yemen a day after the Iran-backed group claimed a deadly attack on the Israeli city of Tel Aviv.
“A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck military targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the area of the Al Hudaydah (Hodeidah) Port in Yemen in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the state of Israel in recent months,” the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
The statement came soon after the Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported airstrikes targeting oil facilities in the western port of Hodeidah, adding that there had been deaths and injuries.
According to Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam, the Israeli strikes hit oil tanks and a power station.
“A brutal Israeli aggression against Yemen by targeting civilian facilities, oil tanks, and the power station in Hodeidah aims to increase the suffering of the people of Yemen,” he added.
Abdulsalam slammed what he said was pressure on Yemen to stop its support of Gaza.
The strikes on Hodeidah came a day after a drone attack in Tel Aviv killed one man and injured at least 10 others.
The Houthis said that attack was a response to Israel’s war in Gaza, with a spokesperson saying the operation was performed by a new drone capable of “bypassing the enemy’s interception systems.”
While the Houthis have carried out numerous strikes targeting shipping in solidarity with Gaza, this is the first time Israel has struck Yemen.
Two Israeli officials said Israel had notified the US ahead of its airstrikes in Yemen on Saturday.
A White House official said US President Joe Biden had been briefed on “developments” in the Middle East.
Both the UK and the US have carried out strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the attacks on shipping.
In May, at least 16 people were killed and a further 35 wounded by US-UK airstrikes in Hodeidah targeting Houthi rebels. They marked the fifth round of coalition strikes against the Houthis.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
