After rocket attack on Tel Aviv: Israel launches retaliatory strikes against Yemen

A Houthi rocket hit Tel Aviv over the weekend. Prime Minister Netanyahu announced a response. Now the Israeli Air Force is launching attacks against several targets in Yemen.

In response to the rocket attack near Tel Aviv airport, Israel's military attacked Houthi positions in Yemen. The targeted Houthi infrastructure represents an important source of income for the group, the Israeli army said. The port of Hodeidah in the west of the country, for example, is used to transport Iranian weapons. A concrete factory east of the city, which the militia uses to build military infrastructure, was also attacked. The attack weakens the Houthi economy and its ability to build military equipment.

Dozens of targets were attacked, the military said. About 20 fighter jets were deployed, and 50 ammunition loads were dropped.

The army added that the attacks were a response to repeated attacks by the Yemeni militia on Israeli territory with rockets and drones. A Houthi rocket landed near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport in Israel on Sunday. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz subsequently threatened the Houthis with "sevenfold retaliation." The Houthis themselves threatened to further disrupt air traffic to Israel.

The news site "ynet" reported that the large-scale attack in the evening was coordinated with the US. The Houthi-affiliated TV station Al-Masirah reported attacks by the US and Israel on the port in Hodeidah. The cement factory that was also attacked is located about 50 kilometers east of Hodeidah in the city of Badjil. Eyewitnesses in Badjil reported that violent explosions shook the city. Smoke and flames rose above the factory. Ambulances rushed to the factory. Casualties are believed to be present there.

The US military has been attacking Houthi militia targets in Yemen for months, with the stated goal of protecting international shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthis repeatedly attack commercial and military vessels there and intend to stop these attacks only when the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, which is also backed by Iran, ends. Israel's own military has not attacked any targets in Yemen for about four months.

Yemen has been ravaged by a civil war for ten years, and the country is effectively divided. The Iran-backed Houthi militia controls large areas in the north, including the capital Sanaa and the port city of Hodeidah, while the internationally recognized government controls the south.