Israel Attacks Yemen’s Hodeidah And Salif Ports, Strikes Killed One And Injured Nine

New Delhi : Israel attacked Yemen’s Red Sea ports of Hodeidah and Salif on Friday, continuing its efforts to weaken Houthi military capabilities. The Houthis have been launching missiles toward Israel, citing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, although they agreed to stop attacks on US ships.

The Israeli military dropped over 30 munitions on Houthi targets during its eighth such strike. The military said the ports of Hodeidah and Salif were being used to transfer weapons and urged residents to evacuate those areas. The Houthi-run health ministry reported that the Israeli strikes killed at least one person and injured nine. Residents in Hodeidah heard four loud explosions and saw smoke rising from the port following the attack.

These ports are used to transfer weapons and are a further example of the Houthi’s systematic and cynical exploitation of civilian infrastructure in order to advance terrorist activities. The IDF said that the strikes were carried out only after issuing multiple advanced warnings to the local population. This was intended to minimise the risk of harm to civilians living near the targeted sites.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a joint statement saying, “If the Houthis continue to fire missiles at the State of Israel, they will be severely harmed, and we will also hurt the leaders.”

They added that Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi could join the list of militant figures targeted by Israel, including Hamas’ Yahya Sinwar and Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah. The Houthis form part of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” alongside Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. They control about 60 per cent of Yemen’s population.