Yemeni Houthi forces reported on Saturday that Israel conducted an airstrike against the port city of Hodeida in the western part of Yemen. The claim came 24 hours after a drone attack by Yemeni fighters against Israel, which left one person dead. The Houthi news agency Saba described the strike as an “Israeli aggression targeting several oil depots” in Hodeida. This followed claims from Houthi-aligned outlets such as Al Masirah and Al Mayadeen about a series of powerful explosions in the city. The Houthi Ministry of Health later confirmed fatalities and injuries in the aftermath.
“A brutal Israeli assault on Yemen targeted civilian facilities, oil storage sites, and the power station in Al Hodeida”, stated Mohamed Abdelsalam, a spokesperson for the group, on the official X account. He argued that the attack, which comes on the heels of yesterday’s assault in Tel Aviv, would only strengthen the Yemeni people’s resolve and determination in supporting Gaza. Yemen’s Al Masirah television, representing the Houthis, circulated early footage showing fires and a rising plume of dark smoke near the coast as evidence of the strikes.
Israel’s military authorities acknowledged carrying out retaliatory strikes, though they provided few specifics. The Israeli Defense Forces posted on its Telegram channel that combat aircraft targeted military sites controlled by the Houthi regime in the port area of Hodeida in Yemen, in response to the hundreds of attacks against the State of Israel over recent months.
Pan-Arab broadcaster Al Arabiya cited unnamed sources suggesting that as many as ten combat aircraft from Israel, the United States, and Britain participated in the attack. Houthi officials had not confirmed this detail. Other reports mentioned the possible involvement of twelve U.S.-made F-35 fighters. The Houthi assault on Tel Aviv on Friday left several injuries and was described as a new escalation in the ongoing conflict, with Yemen reportedly targeting ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the drone involved hovered at low altitude for hours and approached from the Mediterranean side. Air defenses detected the drone but decided not to intercept it, deeming it not an hostile object at the moment. The Air Force later acknowledged that this decision represented a serious mistake and accepted responsibility for the incident.