IDF, Houthis trade strikes, hitting Yemeni infrastructure and central Israel school

Israel’s military said Thursday it carried out retaliatory strikes on Houthi rebel targets in Yemen, including ports and energy infrastructure, after intercepting a projectile that was launched from Yemen.

The Israel Defense Forces said it hit militant targets in the ports in Salif, Hodeida and Ras Isa in the western Hodeida governorate, as well as in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital. In a Telegram post, the Houthis said the strikes hit civilian infrastructure as well as power stations in the Hodeida governorate. The Houthi-aligned media channel al-Masirah reported that at least nine people were killed in those attacks.

The IDF said Israeli jets flew more than 1,000 miles overnight to strike the targets in Yemen, which included oil tanks and tugboats.

Shortly before launching the strikes on Yemen, Israel intercepted a missile launched from Yemen before it entered Israeli territory, the IDF said.

In a separate update, the IDF said that a school was damaged in Ramat Efal in central Israel, probably by the partial interception of the missile launched from Yemen. There were no casualties, Israel’s emergency services said.

Houthi forces said they launched hypersonic missiles targeting “two specific and sensitive military targets” in Israel’s Jaffa region “in conjunction” with the Israeli attack on Thursday.

Thursday’s strikes were the latest in the growing conflict against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, who have been firing missiles and drones at ships traversing the Red Sea since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza. The Houthis said once again Thursday that the strikes “will not stop until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege is lifted.”

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement Thursday: “I warn the leaders of the Houthi terrorist organization: Israel’s long arm will reach you too. Those who raise a hand against the State of Israel will have their hand cut off, and those who harm us will be hit seven times.”

The Houthis’ assault on the busy Red Sea corridor has disrupted global shipping, forcing ships to reroute around Africa. Dozens of U.S.-led airstrikes on Houthi targets have attempted to halt their Red Sea attacks.

Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, condemned Israel’s strikes Thursday on Yemen, describing them as “a blatant violation of international law.” He also accused the United States of complicity by supporting Israel.

Source » washingtonpost.com