Israeli navy strikes Houthi-controlled port city of Hudaydah

The Israeli navy ships hit targets in the port city of Hudaydah in Yemen controlled by Houthi.

The Israeli army said in a statement that strikes were carried out in response to the Houthi missiles aimed at Israel and aimed to stop the use of the port for military purposes.

There was no immediate report of victims.

Images published on social networks have shown that black smoke plumes rising from the port, with an Al-Masirah TV managed by the Houthi reporting two distinct strikes.

The Houthis regularly launched missiles in Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. On Thursday, a Houthi missile was intercepted above Jerusalem, while last month, the ground of the main airport of Israel was hit.

The strikes on Hudaydah, which were unusually made by naval ships rather than by plane, were made in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Israeli defense forces (FDI) previously issued evacuation warnings to all those present in the port of Hudaydah, as well as the other ports controlled by the Houthis of Ras Isa and Salif.

“Due to the use by the Houthi terrorist regime of maritime ports for its terrorist activities, we urge everyone present at these ports to evacuate and stay far from them for your own security until further notice,” said Arabichay Adraee Arabica of the IDF.

Nasruddin Amer, the deputy chief of the Houthi media office, wrote on X that the attack had no significant impact on group operations.

“This has no effect on the morale of our employees, who descend into the streets every week … in support of Gaza,” he wrote.

The port of Hudaydah, which is the main point of entry for food and other humanitarian aid for millions of Yemenis, was the target of several Israeli strikes in the past year.

Last month, a person was killed in an Israeli strike, the Ministry of Health managed by the Houthi said in a statement at the time. Israeli officials said the strike would put the port out of service for about a month.

The Houthi group supported by Iran has checked a large part of the North West Yemen since 2014, when they have ousted the internationally recognized government of the capital, Sanaa, and sparked a devastating civil war.

The Houthis began to attack ships via the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza after the Israeli army launched an offensive there in response to the attack on the Palestinian Armed group Hamas against Israel in October 2023.

From November 2023, the Houthis launched dozens of missile and drone attacks against commercial ships – flowing two ships, entering a third and killing four crew members.

The attacks have even forced large maritime companies to stop using the Red Sea – through which almost 15% of the world’s world trade is generally – and taking a much longer path around southern Africa.

In response, former American president Joe Biden began the United States air strikes against the group.

This campaign accelerated after US President Donald Trump took office until a ceasefire was reached in early May.