Islamabad, Sep 30: On Sunday, Israel announced it had targeted Houthi positions in Yemen following missile attacks on Israel by the group over the past two days, adding another layer to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
According to the Houthi-run Health Ministry, the Israeli airstrikes resulted in at least four fatalities and 29 injuries, with residents reporting widespread power outages across the port city of Hodeidah.
Israel’s military confirmed that multiple aircraft, including fighter jets, attacked power facilities and ports in Hodeidah and Ras Issa.
This marks Israel’s second military action against Yemen in just over two months. In July, Israeli forces targeted Houthi military sites near Hodeidah following a Yemeni drone strike on Tel Aviv that resulted in one death.
The military stated, “Over the past year, the Houthis have been operating under the direction and funding of Iran, collaborating with Iraqi militias to target Israel, destabilize the region, and threaten global navigation.”
Yemen’s Houthis have consistently launched missiles and drones at Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians since the onset of the Gaza conflict following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7.
In the latest incident, the Houthis claimed to have fired a ballistic missile toward Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv on Saturday, which Israel reported it intercepted. Another missile was intercepted on Friday.
Mohammed Abdulsalam, a spokesperson for the Houthis, stated on X that the Israeli strikes would not deter the group from supporting Gaza and Lebanon.
Iran condemned the Israeli actions, asserting that they targeted civilian infrastructure. President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that Israel should not be permitted to attack nations aligned with the “Axis of Resistance” sequentially.
