Israel said Monday it carried out a wave of strikes on the Yemeni port city of Hodeida and nearby areas held by the Huthi rebels, who retaliated with missile attacks.
The Huthis have been launching missiles and drones at Israel since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023 after Palestinian militant group Hamas鈥檚 attack on Israel.
In response, Israel has carried out several strikes in Yemen including on ports and the airport in the capital Sanaa.
Israel 鈥榮truck and destroyed terror infrastructure belonging to the Huthi terrorist regime. Among the targets were the ports of Hodeida, Ras Isa, and Salif,鈥� its army said in a statement.
Among the targets Israel said it struck was the Galaxy Leader cargo ship, which the Huthis captured in November 2023. The Israelis said it has been outfitted with a radar system to track shipping in the Red Sea.
It said the strikes were 鈥榠n response to the repeated attacks by the Huthi terrorist regime against the State of Israel鈥�.
Hours after the Israeli strikes, two missiles were launched from Yemen towards Israel, the Israeli army said, with Yemen military spokesman Yehyaa Saree claiming responsibility for the attacks.
The Huthis targeted Ben Gurion airport, the ports of Ashdod and Eilat as well as a power station in Ashkelon 鈥榠n retaliation for this aggression鈥�, Saree said in a video statement on Monday.
Earlier, the Huthis鈥� Al-Masirah television station reported that the 鈥業sraeli enemy is targeting the port of Hodeida鈥�, also reporting strikes on the ports of Ras Isa and Salif and the Ras Al-Kathib power station.
The attacks came around half an hour after an Israeli army spokesman warned of strikes on the sites on social media.
The Huthis, who say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians, renewed their assault in March after Israel resumed its military campaign in Gaza at the end of a two-month ceasefire in the Palestinian territory.
The group has also attacked shipping vessels they deem to be linked to Israel in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 2023.
On Sunday, gunmen on skiffs attacked a commercial vessel in the Red Sea off Yemen, forcing them to abandon ship after being hit by rocket-propelled grenades and other ordnance, monitors said.
They were later rescued by a passing merchant vessel, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which said that 鈥榓ll crew are well and safe鈥�.
Though no one has claimed responsibility for the assault, UK-based security firm Ambrey said the vessel matched 鈥榯he established Huthi target profile鈥�.
The Huthis broadened their campaign to target ships tied to the United States and Britain after the two countries began military strikes aimed at securing the waterway in January 2024.
In May, the rebels cemented a ceasefire with the United States that ended weeks of intense US strikes against it, but vowed to continue targeting Israeli ships.
