On Monday, the Israeli military launched drone strikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah as the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, continue to launch near-daily missile and drone attacks on Israeli territory in response to Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.
The Israeli military claimed that it targeted “engineering equipment working to restore port infrastructure, fuel tanks, and vessels used for military activity and [attacks] against the State of Israel and ships in the maritime area near the port.” Yemeni media reported on the Israeli attack, but the extent of the damage and whether or not there were casualties is unclear.
According to The Times of Israel, the strikes marked the 13th time that Israel bombed Yemen, operations that have done nothing to deter the Houthis, who vow their attacks will continue until there’s an end to the war and siege on Gaza. Previous Israeli attacks on Yemen involved dozens of Israeli warplanes, but Monday’s strike involved only Israeli Air Force drones.
After the Israeli strikes, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced that Yemeni forces launched five drones at Israel, and Israeli media reported the downing of one drone fired from Yemen.
“We continue and are committed to providing support and assistance to the oppressed Palestinian people,” Saree said. “Our operations will not cease until the aggression against Gaza stops and the siege is lifted.”
Recent reports have said that Israel was urging the US to restart its bombing campaign in Yemen, but so far, there’s no indication the Trump administration is considering it. The US launched heavy missile strikes on Yemen from March 15 to May 6, killing more than 250 civilians, but the campaign also failed to deter the Houthis.
President Trump framed his ceasefire with the Houthis as a victory, but he essentially gave up on trying to thwart Houthi attacks on Israel. The Houthis recently affirmed that they’re committed to the truce with the US, and a US official told The Wall Street Journal that the group’s recent attacks on commercial ships didn’t violate the ceasefire since they were not American vessels.
