Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday night announced “intense” Israeli airstrikes on Yemen, a series of attacks that were confirmed by Yemeni media.
The attacks came after Yemen’s Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, launched their latest missile attack on Israel, as the Houthis have vowed their operations against Israel would continue until the genocidal war and siege on Gaza come to an end.
According to Katz and Yemeni media, the Israeli airstrikes targeted the Yemeni ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa, and Salif, which are all located in the Hodeidah Governorate on the Red Sea. Repeating a threat from last week, Katz said Yemen would be “treated like Tehran,” referring to Israel’s recent bombing campaign in Iran.
“Anyone who tries to harm Israel will be harmed, anyone who raises a hands against Israel will have it cut off. The Houthis will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions,” Katz said.
The Israeli minister also said the Israeli strikes targeted the Galaxy Leader, a ship the Houthis seized in 2023 when the Yemeni group first started its attacks on Israel-linked shipping.
Also on Sunday, a Greek-owned ship, the Magic Seas, was attacked in the Red Sea, forcing the crew to abandon it. So far, the Houthis haven’t taken credit for the attack, which reportedly involved small arms, rocket-propelled grenades, and drones, setting the ship ablaze.
If the Houthis were responsible for the attack, it would mark their first operation against a commercial vessel this year. Yemeni attacks have focused on targeting Israeli territory and also US warships during President Trump’s bombing campaign against Yemen, which lasted from March 15 to May 6 and involved very heavy missile strikes and massive civilian casualties.
The US bombing campaign failed to deter the Houthis, and while Trump framed his ceasefire as a victory, the US essentially gave up on trying to end Yemeni attacks on Israel. The latest round of Israeli airstrikes is not expected to stop Houthi operations against Israeli territory.
“Our support operations will continue until the aggression against Gaza stops and the siege is lifted,” Saree said on Sunday when announcing the latest missile attack on Israel.
