Following unabated missile and drone strikes by the Iranian-backed Houthis, the Israeli Air Force struck terrorist targets in and around the Red Sea port of Hudaydah in Yemen on Monday.
“Among the military infrastructure struck were engineering vehicles used to reestablish the port’s infrastructure, fuel containers, naval vessels used for military activities and force against the State of Israel and vessels in the maritime zone adjacent to the port, and additional terror infrastructure used by the Houthi terrorist regime,” the IDF said in a statement.
The Houthi-controlled port of Hudaydah is thought to be the main entry point for Iranian missiles and weapons shipments to the Islamic terrorist group in Yemen. “The port has been used, among other things, to transfer weapons from the Iranian regime, which are then used by the Houthi terrorist regime to execute terrorist attacks against the State of Israel and its allies,” the IDF added.
The Israeli TV channel i24News reported the details of the strike:
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed an earlier i24NEWS report that the IDF attacked Houthi targets in Yemen on Monday.The IDF said they struck and dismantled military infrastructure belonging to the Houthi regime at the Hodeidah port, including engineering vehicles used to reestablish the port’s infrastructure, fuel containers, naval vessels used for military activities against Israel. Additionally, vessels in the maritime zone adjacent to the port, and additional terror infrastructure used by the Houthis were also struck.Earlier, Defense Minister Katz said in a statement: “The IDF is now attacking terrorist targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the port of Hodeidah and is vigorously enforcing any attempt to restore the terrorist infrastructures that were attacked in the past. As I have made clear – Yemen’s law is Tehran’s law. The Houthis will pay a heavy price for firing missiles at the State of Israel. We will continue to act at all times and in all places to defend the State of Israel.”
Despite a ceasefire agreed to between Israel and Iran following the recently concluded 12-day war, Tehran-backed Houthis have continued firing ballistic missiles and drones at Israeli towns and cities.
The IDF’s response on Monday “marked the first Israeli strikes on Yemen since July 7. In the interim, the Houthis have launched six ballistic missiles and at least two drones at Israel, attacks that caused no damage or injuries,” The Times of Israel noted. On July 7, Israeli fighter jets struck the radar systems being installed near Hudaydah port.
Just days after the October 7, 2023 massacre, the Houthis joined Hamas’s war on Israel. Since that day, they have fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel from their bases in Yemen.
Using Yemen’s ports in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, the terrorist group has been trying to impose a blockade on Israel — sinking and hijacking Western-owned cargo ships, and disrupting global maritime trade.
After reports of a widening military operation, the IDF on Monday launched a major ground offensive in the area of Deir al-Balah, northern Gaza. “The ground operation began in the afternoon, after preparatory air and artillery strikes overnight and throughout the morning,” the Israel National News reported.
The ground operation, led by the IDF’s famed Golani Brigade, seeks to free the remaining hostages languishing in Gaza captivity for over 21 months as Hamas refuses to accept the ceasefire proposal made by the Trump administration. “Israeli tanks pushed into the southern and eastern districts of the Gazan city of Deir al-Balah on Monday, an area where Israeli sources said the IDF believes some of the remaining hostages may be held,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
“The IDF issued evacuation orders for the citizens of Deir al-Balah, saying it sought to destroy Hamas’s capabilities and infrastructure,” the newspaper added. “The message included the phrase that the IDF was going to “operate in areas where it has not operated in the past.”
While the IDF has been refraining from attacking the Deir al-Balah terror stronghold to protect the hostages, Hamas still has a significant terror infrastructure and jihadist fighting force in the area. “Deir al-Balah is believed to house a highly capable Hamas battalion, possibly the most combat-ready in the Strip,” the Israeli news website Ynetnews reported. “According to military assessments, fully targeting Deir al-Balah and the neighboring Nuseirat camp would require deploying at least two full IDF divisions for several months of fighting.”
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