Israel, on Monday evening, carried out retaliatory airstrikes on terrorist targets in Yemen after a Houthi missile hit Ben Gurion Airport over the weekend.
Israeli fighter jets struck multiple targets in and around the Houthi-held port city of Hodeidah. “The Israeli Air Force is attacking targets in Yemen this evening (Monday), in direct response to the strike on Ben Gurion Airport by a Houthi-launched ballistic missile yesterday,” the Israeli news website Arutz Sheva noted. “The attacks are aimed at the infrastructure of the Houthi organization, which operates as a proxy of Iran.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed hitting Houthi terrorist targets, primary the port of Hudaydah, the main transit point for Iranian weapons and supplies to the Yemen-based jihadist group.
Some Israeli news outlets reported this as a ‘joint’ U.S.-Israeli operation. “The Israel Air Force is undertaking a joint counter-strike of the Houthis in Yemen along with the US night following the ballistic missile strike near Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday,” The Jerusalem Post wrote. “Foreign reports are describing close to a dozen attack sites.”
Six Israelis were reportedly injured when a Houthi ballistic missile landed near the tarmac of Israel’s main international airport. Israel’s Arrow and U.S.-made THAAD air defense systems failed to intercept the ballistic missile, which the Houthis claimed was a ‘hypersonic’ projectile — based on technology provided by Iran.
Israeli news website YNET reported the details of the Israeli counter-strike:
Israel on Monday attacked Houthi targets in Yemen, a day after a missile fired by the rebel group crashed near Ben Gurion Airport. A security source said that over 50 types of munitions were used in the attack, a joint operation with the U.S., adding that the port of Hodeidah has been “obliterated.”The strike signals a shift in Israeli strategy toward the Houthis, after months of restraint despite near-daily missile attacks, opting instead to let Washington continue its air campaign on the group instead. (…)Sunday’s launch marks the fifth such attack in two days as the Iran-backed terror group ramps up its campaign against Israel. U.S. operations in Yemen continue, though they currently remain limited to airstrikes targeting Houthi positions.
Israel acknowledged hitting terrorist sites in Yemen, while the Houthis claimed being hit by a U.S.-Israel strike. “Israeli officials confirm that the Israeli Air Force is carrying out strikes in Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah,” The Times of Israel disclosed. “Shortly before the Israeli strikes, media in Yemen reported strikes carried out by the US near the capital, Sanaa.”
The counter-strikes come after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday, vowed to strike back at Houthi jihadists and “their Iranian terror masters.” Israel’s retaliation “will not happen in one bang, but there will be many bangs,” he added.
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