The Israeli military conducted airstrikes against Yemen’s Red Sea port of Hodeidah on Sunday, killing at least four people and wounding 29.
Yemen’s Health Ministry said the death toll is preliminary and could rise. According to Al Mayadeen, the strikes hit port facilities, a power generation plant, and the Hodeidah airport.
The Israeli military said it carried out the strikes in response to the Houthis firing missiles toward Israel. On Friday, the Houthis claimed they launched attacks on Israeli cities and several US warships.
Dozens of Israeli warplanes were involved in the strikes on Hodeidah, which the Israeli military said targeted port and oil facilities and “sensitive” Houthi military sites.
US and Israeli officials told Axios that Israel notified US Central Command ahead of the strikes, meaning Israel coordinated with the US on the attack. Since January, the US has been bombing Yemen as part of a new campaign that has failed to stop Houthi attacks on shipping.
Israel bombed Yemen for the first time back in July in response to a Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv that killed one civilian. The Israeli Air Force also targeted Hodeidah in July, hitting oil infrastructure and killing six civilians.
The US-backed Saudi/UAE war against the Houthis from 2015-2022 involved heavy airstrikes and a blockade, and the Houthis only became a more capable fighting force during that time.
The war killed at least 377,000 people, with more than half dying of starvation and disease caused by the siege. A ceasefire between the Houthis and Saudis has held relatively well since April 2022, but new US sanctions are now blocking the implementation of a lasting peace deal.
