The IDF on Friday afternoon struck and dismantled terrorist infrastructure sites belonging to the Houthis in the Hudaydah and Salif Ports in Yemen.
According to the IDF, „These ports are used to transfer weapons and are a further example of the Houthi terrorist regime’s systematic and cynical exploitation of civilian infrastructure in order to advance terrorist activities.“
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said, „The strikes were conducted after numerous advanced warnings issued by the IDF to the population in the area in order to mitigate the risk of harm to civilian population in the areas of these sites. Any hostile activity in these ports will continue to be prevented.“
It further noted that, over the past year and a half, the Houthi terrorist regime has been operating under Iranian direction and funding in order to harm the State of Israel and its allies, undermining regional stability and disrupting global freedom of navigation.
„In light of the Houthi terrorist regime’s use of these ports for terrorist activity, the IDF continues to warn individuals in the area of the ports to evacuate.“
„The IDF is determined to continue to operate against threats posed to Israeli civilians, at any distance required.“
Senior Houthi official Nasr al-Din Amer declared, „We are in an open battle against Israel and we will not stop our attacks nor lift the siege on the Gulf of Eilat, and we will not cease our efforts to continue the aerial siege on Israeli airports. We will expand our military activity alongside the expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and its continued attacks against the ports of Yemen.“
Friday’s attack was the eighth Israeli strike in Yemen since the beginning of the war, and the third since the resumption of fighting in Gaza. Since the last strike ten days ago, the Houthis have launched seven ballistic missiles and two drones.
The strike came after the Houthis launched another long-range missile toward Israel Thursday night. The missile was intercepted by the Arrow 3 defense system, but not before sirens sounded at 21:10 across central Israel, including in the Dan Region, the Sharon, the Shfela, and parts of Judea and Samaria. The alert interrupted Lag BaOmer celebrations, as many families and children were gathered around traditional bonfires.
The missile launch also disrupted air traffic, causing temporary halts in takeoffs and landings at Ben Gurion Airport. Interception debris reportedly fell in the Gush Etzion community of Alon Shvut.
This marked the second missile attack by the Iran-backed Houthis in just two days. On Wednesday morning, another missile launch triggered sirens at 7:44 a.m. in the Jerusalem area, Shfela, and Judea and Samaria as children were heading to school. That missile was also intercepted successfully.
The IDF had previously issued warnings to vacate the targeted Yemeni ports, and the latest strike appears to signal a shift from threats to direct military action aimed at halting the ongoing threat from Yemen.
A significant strike also occurred in the Gaza Strip on Friday afternoon.
