WhatsappEarly in the evening yesterday Israel sent 30 fighter jets 1,600 km to drop fifty bombs on the Houthi controlled port of Hudaydah as retaliation for the Houthi attack on Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport. Last night’s attack was coordinated with the US, which took a break from its own bombing campaign against the Houthis to allow the Israeli jets in and take out the port.
While it is still not clear the level of destruction inflicted on the port, it can be assumed that the port is no longer functioning. Hudaydah Port is the main shipping hub for the Houthis on the Red Sea, which allowed them to bring in materials for missiles as well as other weapons. Without the port, the Houthis will have a far harder time replenishing their stock of ballistic missiles.
The Israel Defense Forces said the Hodeidah port was used by the Houthis “for the transfer of Iranian weapons, equipment for military needs, and other terror purposes.” The Bajil concrete factory “serves as an important economic resource for the Houthi terror regime and is used for building tunnels and military infrastructure,” the IDF said, adding that the strikes “constitute a blow to the regime’s economy and its military buildup. The strike was conducted in response to the repeated attacks by the Houthi terrorist regime against the State of Israel, during which surface-to-surface missiles and UAVs were launched toward Israeli territory and its civilians,” the military said in a statement.
The IDF has already launched a follow strike, attacking Yemen’s international airport in Sanaa. The IDF issued a warning in Arabic beforehand to ensure all civilians could leave in time.
The Houthis have vowed to continue their “land and sea blockade of Israel.” Most analysts assume the Houthis will shoot multiple ballistic missiles at Israel in the coming days as retaliation.
