Israeli navy strikes Houthi-controlled port city of Hudaydah
Israeli navy ships have struck targets in the port city of Hudaydah in Houthi-controlled Yemen.The Israeli military said in a statement the strikes were carried out in response to Houthi missiles targeting Israel and were aimed at stopping the use of the port for "military purposes". There were no immediate reports of casualties.Images posted on social media showed black plumes of smoke rising from the port, with Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reporting two separate strikes.The Houthis have regularly launched missiles at Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. On Thursday, a Houthi missile was intercepted above Jerusalem, while last month one hit the grounds of Israel's main airport.
The strikes on Hudaydah, which unusually were carried out by navy ships rather than aircraft, were conducted in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) earlier issued evacuation warnings to all those present in Hudaydah port, as well the other Houthi-controlled ports of Ras Isa and Salif."Due to the terrorist Houthi regime's use of seaports for its terrorist activities, we urge all those present at these ports to evacuate and stay away from them for your own safety until further notice," IDF Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on X.Nasruddin Amer, the deputy head of the Houthis' media office, wrote on X that the attack had no significant impact on the group's operations."It has no effect even on the morale of our people, who take to the streets weekly ... in support of Gaza," he wrote.Hudaydah port, which is the main entry point for food and other humanitarian aid for millions of Yemenis, has been the target of several Israeli strikes in the past year.Last month, one person was killed in an Israeli strike, the Houthi-run health ministry said in a statement at the time. Israeli officials said the strike would put the port out of action for around a month.The Iran-backed Houthi group has controlled much of north-western Yemen since 2014, when they ousted the internationally-recognised government from the capital, Sanaa, and sparked a devastating civil war.The Houthis began attacking ships passing through the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza after the Israeli military began a bombardment there in response to the Palestinian armed group Hamas' attack on Israel in October 2023.Since November 2023, the Houthis launched dozens of missile and drone attacks on commercial ships - sinking two vessels, seizing a third and killing four crew members.The attacks forced even major shipping companies to stop using the Red Sea - through which almost 15% of global seaborne trade usually passes - and to take a much longer route around southern Africa instead.In response, former US president Joe Biden began US air strikes against the group.That campaign ramped up after US President Donald Trump took office, until a ceasefire was reached in early May.
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