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Israel launched attacks on ports and energy infrastructure in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen early Thursday and threatened more strikes against the Iran-aligned militant group, which has launched hundreds of missiles at Israel over the past year.
While the Israeli planes were in the air, the Israeli military said it intercepted a missile aimed at central Israel, which destroyed a school building in the town of Ramat Efal with what a military spokesman described as falling shrapnel.
The Israeli attack, which involved 14 fighter jets and other aircraft, came in two waves: a first series of attacks against the ports of Salif and Ras Issa and a second series against the capital Sanaa, the military spokesman said. lieutenant colonel. Nadav Shoshani told reporters.
“We made extensive preparations for these operations with efforts to refine our intelligence and optimize attacks,” he said.
Al Masirah TV, the main Houthi-run television outlet, said the airstrikes killed nine people, seven in Salif and two at the Ras Issa oil facilities, both in the western province of Hodeidah.
In Sana’a, the attacks also targeted two power plants south and north of the capital, which Al Masirah said had cut power to thousands of families.
The Israeli strikes followed an attack on Monday by US aircraft on a command and control facility operated by the Houthis, who control much of Yemen.
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Red Sea Hostilities
The Houthis, who have launched attacks on international shipping near Yemen since November last year in solidarity with the Palestinians in Israel’s war against Hamas, said they had attacked the Israeli city of Tel Aviv that same night with two ballistic missiles. and had reached “precise military forces.” goals.”
They also promised to respond to Israeli attacks.
“The Israeli attack will not deter Yemen from responding to this heinous aggression and supporting Gaza,” the group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said in a televised speech.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel would continue to respond to Houthi attacks.
“Whoever raises a hand against the State of Israel, his hand will be cut off; whoever does harm will be harmed sevenfold,” Katz said in a post on X.
The Israeli military said specialists were examining the site of the attack in Ramat Efal and were trying to confirm whether one or two missiles had been fired.
Some Israeli media reported that the missile had hit the school, but Shoshani said initial indications suggested it was hit by missile debris.
One possibility was that the fuel tank, “which is a huge piece of metal, continued to function” after the missile was intercepted, he said.
The Houthis have attacked about 100 merchant ships with missiles and drones since the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip began in October 2023, after Hamas led a surprise attack against Israel.
The Houthis seized one ship and sank two in a campaign that also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have been intercepted by separate coalitions led by the United States and Europe in the Red Sea or failed to hit their targets, which also included Western military vessels.
WATCH l After a long civil war, signs point to Iran’s support for Houthi attacks (April):
Once a motley group in Yemen, one of the world’s poorest countries, Iran has helped the Houthis become major players capable of disrupting global shipping traffic in the Red Sea. CBC’s Paul Hunter looks at the rise of the Houthis and what the world needs to watch. (Correction: In an earlier version of this video, we reported that Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by several countries and entities, including the United Nations. In fact, the UN does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization.)
The rebels maintain that they attack ships linked to Israel, the United States or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
The Houthis have fought a Saudi-led coalition to a stalemate for several years in a broader war in Yemen that has killed more than 150,000 people, including civilians. The conflict has also created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters that is believed to have killed tens of thousands more.
