Israel has launched a new military operation called “Black Flag” against the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement. According to the Israeli Defence Ministry’s press service, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) struck a number of targets in Yemen on Monday.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that as part of the operation, Israeli forces attacked targets linked to the Houthis, including the ports of Hodeidah, As-Salif and Ras Isa, a power plant in the Ras Katib area, as well as the vessel Galaxy Leader, which was captured by militants about two years ago and is being used, according to Tel Aviv, “for terrorist purposes in the Red Sea.”
According to Katz, the Houthis equipped the ship with a radar system and are using it to track shipping in international waters. The Ministry of Defence claims that these ports serve as a conduit for Iranian weapons, which are then used to attack Israel and its allies.
The minister also threatened Yemen with consequences comparable to the fate of Tehran in response to the continuing attacks on Israeli territory.
Earlier, at the end of June, the Ansar Allah movement, which controls the northern part of Yemen, condemned the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and expressed its support for Iran.
At the beginning of the year, the US president signed an executive order to begin the process of recognising the Houthis as a terrorist organisation, but in May, Donald Trump announced the suspension of air strikes against them, citing the Houthis’ statement of intent to cease hostilities.
Conflict with the Houthis
In May, Israeli aircraft struck Houthi targets in the port of Hodeidah and at a cement factory east of it. The IDF explained that this was in response to numerous attacks on Israeli territory using rockets and drones.
The Houthis currently control northern Yemen. The rest of the country is divided between forces loyal to the internationally recognised government, backed by Saudi Arabia, and separatists seeking to create an independent state.
Since October 2023, following the outbreak of the war in Gaza, the Houthis have been attacking Israeli and international ships passing off the coast of Yemen in the Red Sea and in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, declaring their solidarity with Hamas and the Palestinian people. According to them, the targets of the attacks are ships linked to Israel, the US and the UK.
