KEY POINTS
- Israel carried out two strikes on the docks of Al Hodeidah port
- Israeli military on Monday urged the evacuation of Ras Isa, Hodeidah and Salif ports
SANAA, Yemen: Israel stepped up pressure on Yemen’s Houthis on Tuesday, deploying its navy to hit targets in the Red Sea port of Hodeidah and threatening the movement with a naval and air blockade if attacks on Israel persist.
Yemen’s Al Masirah TV said Israel carried out two strikes on the docks of Al Hodeidah port, a key port for humanitarian aid imports.
The Israeli army said in a statement that the navy struck Houthi targets, adding the port is used by the group to transfer weapons.
There were no immediate reports of casualties. Israel has been hitting Houthi targets with air strikes in a military campaign launched after the country targeted several areas in Lebanon and Syria.
The Israeli military on Monday urged the evacuation of the Houthi-controlled ports of Ras Isa, Hodeidah and Salif.
“We warned the Houthi organization that if they continue to fire toward Israel, they will face a powerful response and will be subjected to a naval and aerial blockade,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement on X.
An Israeli military official told Reuters news agency that the operation was a unique long-range strike conducted from hundreds of kilometres away and that the navy had been preparing for it for an extended period of time.
The navy was chosen based on operational considerations, the official added.
British maritime security firm Ambrey said there was no reported damage to merchant vessels in the port following the Israeli strikes.
Ambrey also advised vessels to minimize crew movements on deck and bridge manning to a minimum while operating in the vicinity.
Since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, the Houthis have fired at Israel and at shipping in the Red Sea, disrupting global trade, in what it says are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.
Most of the dozens of missiles and drones fired toward Israel have been intercepted or fallen short. Israel has carried out a series of retaliatory strikes.
The US also launched intensified strikes against the Houthis this year. Hundreds of US strikes in Yemen killed at least 250 people until early May when US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire that would “stop the bombing”.
The truce apparently caught US ally Israel off-guard, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pledge that his country would “defend ourselves alone”.
Israel has severely hurt Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Palestinian group Hamas.
