Israel Strikes Houthi Ports, Airport, and Power Stations
The Israel Defense Forces issued a statement confirming that the air force struck Houthi targets in Israel’s fourth retaliation against the Houthi drone and surface-to-surface missile attacks. Israel called the strikes precision attacks against the military infrastructure used by the Houthis and to smuggle Iranian weapons into the region.
Israel’s Ministry of Defense and Prime Minister approved the strike plan for the Israel Air Force with unconfirmed reports from Yemen saying as many as 10 targets were struck following similar strikes by Israel a week ago. Israel’s first round of strikes on the port of Hodeidah took place in late September.
The IDF said the targets were the ports of Hodeidah, Salif, and Ras Kanatib on the western coast of Yemen. They also strike the Sana’a International Airport causing widespread damage and two power stations, Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib. Unconfirmed reports from TV broadcasts in Yemen showed the power stations in flames and many destroyed buildings. Unconfirmed reports from Yemen said the Israeli planes sunk another tugboat in Hodeidah while a tug operating from Salif to assist a tanker at the Ras Issa Oil Terminal was hit. They are saying this killed one crewmember and left three others msising. According to the report, Israel crippled operations across all Houthi-controlled Red Sea ports.
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Reuters is citing the Al Masirah TV in Yemen which said two people were killed at the airport and one person died in the strikes on the ports. They are claiming 11 people were wounded in the attacks. Last week, Israel also struck power facilities and reportedly targeted tugs operating in the three ports.
“The Houthis, too, will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah, and Assad’s regime and others learned,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The IDF said it will not hesitate to operate at any distance against any threat to the State of Israel and its citizens.
The strikes came as the Houthis have repeatedly said their new phase of operations was focusing on firing missiles into Israel. Yesterday, they released a statement claiming to have fired two missiles into central Israel after days of similar claims.
Media reports said 16 people were wounded in the Tel Aviv area by a Houthi missile. Media reports have indicated numerous air raid sirens being sounded due to the Houthi attacks. Last week, the reports said the Israelis at least partially shot down the Houthi missiles but debris hit an unoccupied school.
????????????????| AHORA: Repetidos ataques aéreos israelíes contra Saná y Al Hodeida, Yemen controlado por Ansarullah. Los ataques aéreos se produjeron en medio de un anuncio en vivo de Ansarullah.
— Radar Austral (@RadarAustral_) December 26, 2024
Se reportan ataques aéreos contra la central eléctrica de Saná y el aeropuerto de Sana. pic.twitter.com/10dA65DB0p
The leader of the Houthis, Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi went on the airways saying no matter the pressures, the group will not stop its operations. He called for the public to turn out for a massive demonstration on Friday. The group stages a weekly demonstration on Friday in Sana’a.
The Israelis accused Iran of supporting the Houthis. They said today’s strikes were a further example of the Houthis’ exploitation of the civilian infrastructure for military purposes.