The Israeli Air Force launched airstrikes Sunday against infrastructure in western Yemen that the military said was used by the Houthis, in a response to recent ballistic missile attacks on the Jewish state carried out by the Iran-backed group.
It was only the second-ever Israeli strike in Yemen, after in July, the IAF conducted an attack on Yemen’s Hodeidah port after a drone hit Tel Aviv, killing a man in his apartment.
Four people were killed and 29 wounded in the attack, the Houthi-run health ministry said in a statement.
The strike in Yemen on Sunday was more extensive than the one in July. It also came as the IAF had struck targets in Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, and allegedly in Syria during the day, amid a multifront war.
On Saturday, a missile fired by the Houthis at central Israel was shot down without causing injuries. The terror group said it was aimed at Ben Gurion Airport, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plane had just landed, bringing him home from New York.
In a statement Sunday, the military said that dozens of IAF aircraft, including fighter jets, refuelers and spy planes, participated in the strikes some 1,800 kilometers from Israel.
The strikes targeted sites used by the Houthi regime for military purposes at the port city of Hodeidah and the nearby Ras Isa port in western Yemen, the IDF said.
“The IDF attacked power plants and a port, which are used to import oil. Through the targeted infrastructure and ports, the Houthi regime transfers Iranian weapons to the region, and supplies for military purposes, including oil,” the military said.
The IDF said the strikes were carried out in response to the Houthis recent ballistic missile attacks on Israel, including three this month, the latest being on Saturday.
“Over the past year, the Houthis have been operating under the direction and funding of Iran, and in cooperation with Iraqi militias in order to attack the State of Israel, undermine regional stability, and disrupt global freedom of navigation,” the military continued.
“The IDF is determined to continue operating at any distance — near or far — against all threats to the citizens of the State of Israel,” it added.
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