Israeli navy attacks rebel-held Yemeni port city of Hodeida

Israel’s navy attacked docks in Yemen’s rebel-held port city of Hodeida on Tuesday, launching its first seaborne assault against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels while warning more could come.
The attack on Hodeida likely damaged facilities that are key to aid shipments to the hungry, war-wracked nation, but also have allegedly been used for weapons smuggling as vessels reportedly bypass United Nations inspectors.
Both Israel and the United States have struck ports in the area in the past — including an American attack that killed 74 people in April — but Israel is now acting alone in attacking the rebels as they continue to fire missiles at Israel over its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned his country’s “long arm in the air and at sea will reach everywhere.”
“We warned the Houthi terror organisation that if they continue to fire at Israel they will face a powerful response and enter a naval and air blockade,” he said.
But on Tuesday night, Israel’s military said “a missile launched from Yemen was most likely intercepted” as explosions could be heard in Jerusalem, likely from interceptor fire. The Houthis later claimed firing missiles at Israel and warned future attacks would come from “different directions,” without elaborating.
Israeli attack again targets the Hodeida port
The Israeli attack struck Hodeida, some 150 kilometres southwest of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on the Red Sea on Tuesday morning. The Houthis offered no immediate damage assessment and there were no videos immediately released by their al-Masirah satellite news channel.
“It has no effect even on the morale of our people, who take to the streets weekly … in support of Gaza,” wrote Nasruddin Amer, the deputy head of the Houthis’ media office.
The Israeli military said missile boats carried out the attack. It marked a departure for Israel, which previously relied on airstrikes to target the Houthis. Hodeida is over 1,900 kilometres south of Israel’s southern tip, requiring the Israeli military to use aerial refuelling to conduct those strikes.
Israel’s navy, with over 9,000 sailors, has been mainly deployed in the Mediterranean Sea since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel began the war.
“The strikes were carried out to stop the use of the port for military purposes,” the Israeli military said, without offering a damage assessment from the attack. “The port is used to transfer weapons and is a further example of the Houthi terrorist regime’s cynical exploitation of civilian infrastructure in order to advance terrorist activities.”
Already, Israel has destroyed all the aircraft used by Yemen’s state carrier, Yemenia, in strikes on Sanaa International Airport.