The Israeli Air Force struck the port of Hodeidah in Yemen, according to a statement posted on the IDF’s Facebook page on Monday. The IDF used about 30 fighter jets in the attack.
According to the Israeli army, the infrastructure facilities in the port serve as a “central supply source for the Houthis and are used to transfer Iranian weapons.”
“A strike was also carried out on the Bajil concrete factory. The strike was carried out in response to repeated Houthi attacks on Israel,” the statement said.
The statement said the plant was an important “economic resource” for the Houthis and “used to build tunnels and military infrastructure.”
A spokesperson for the US Department of Defence told Al Jazeera that American troops were not involved in the strikes on the port.
Yemeni media reported 42 people injured and two killed in the attack.
Attack on Ben Gurion International Airport
The attack on Ben Gurion International Airport on Sunday came hours before Israeli cabinet ministers voted to expand the war in Gaza, including the capture of the Gaza Strip and an indefinite stay in Palestinian territory. Although air traffic resumed an hour later, the attack could lead to the cancellation of flights by many airlines that had recently resumed flights to Israel.
On Sunday, the Houthis fired a missile from Yemen that hit an access road near Israel’s main airport, causing a brief halt to flights and commuter traffic. Four people were slightly injured. This was the first time a rocket had landed on Israeli airport territory since the start of the war.
Houthi spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Sarea said in a video statement that the Houthis “will work to establish a complete air blockade of the Israeli enemy by launching multiple strikes on airports, primarily Lod Airport, known in Israel as Ben Gurion Airport.” Sarea called on international airlines flying to Israel to “take this statement into account from the moment of its publication and cancel all flights to enemy airports to ensure the safety of aircraft and passengers.”
After the attack, a dozen airlines suspended flights to Israel. Among them are Lufthansa, Air France, Wizz Air, Delta, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Air India. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to take retaliatory measures against the Houthis in Yemen and to oppose “their patron” Iran after the ballistic missile strike.
