More than a dozen Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes on at least two major ports in Yemen on Friday, according to Israeli and Yemeni officials. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued evacuation notices for three areas in Yemen last week, threatening retaliation to Houthi missile and drone attacks.
The IDF announced the strikes on Friday afternoon, saying 15 fighter jets dropped more than 30 munitions on the ports of Hodeidah and al-Salif, both on Yemen’s west coast. Israeli media reports also stated the port of Ras Isa was targeted in the bombings, though Tel Aviv made no mention of that area.
Israel’s military claimed the attack “destroyed terrorist infrastructure” belonging to the Houthi militant group, formally known as Ansar Allah, which has governed much of Yemen since 2014. The Houthis have carried out a number of missile and drone strikes on Israel in protest of its bombing campaign in Gaza, and have maintained a blockade on Israel-linked shipping transiting the Red Sea.
The Yemeni Health Ministry said one person was killed in the Israeli air raids and nine others injured, per the Houthi-linked al-Masirah media outlet.
The IDF issued evacuation warnings for Hodeidah, al-Salif and Ras Isa on May 14, with army spokesman Avichay Adraee ordering residents to leave the areas “until further notice” while threatening a response to a Houthi missile launch two days prior.
The Ras Isa fuel port was the target of a US airstrike last month that reportedly killed 80 people and left 150 wounded. Washington carried out at least 1,000 strikes on Yemen beginning in March in response to the Houthi attacks on Israel and Red Sea shipping, but reached a truce with the group last week. Under the new agreement, US forces will refrain from bombing Yemen so long as Ansar Allah ceases its attacks on American vessels.
Will Porter is assistant news editor and book editor at the Libertarian Institute, and a regular contributor at Antiwar.com. Find more of his work at Consortium News and ZeroHedge.
