JERUSALEM – Israel Air Force jets pounded the Houthi-controlled port of Al-Hudaydah Saturday – in a mission dubbed “Oustretched Arm” – in retaliation for both the drone strike Friday leaving one 50-year-old Israeli man dead and several wounded after it struck a Tel Aviv apartment building, and for the more than 200 other projectiles launched at the Jewish state since October.
The Israeli military said: “Fighter jets struck military targets of the Houthi terror regime in the area of the Al-Hudaydah Port in Yemen, in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months.”
A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck military targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the area of the Al Hudaydah Port in Yemen in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months. pic.twitter.com/LBGSM9ZQ7u
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 20, 2024
More than 20 Israeli war planes, including F-15s and F35s, as well as aerial refueling tankers took part in the strike.
The attack destroyed a massive Houthi weapons depot attached to oil storage facilities, the power station for the city, and numerous other military targets, which led to the port being totally shut down and a complete loss of power in Al Hudaydah. The port is seen as a critical element of the Houthi infrastructure, as it is the main locus of the transfer of weapons from Iran to Yemen.
Israel has absorbed the launching of hundreds of projectiles – including cruise missiles shot at its own Eilat port – almost all of which have been knocked out of the sky, but Friday’s fatality in Tel Aviv was the final straw.
Reports suggest Israeli decision-makers at the highest political levels – i.e. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant very much included – had drawn up a list of high-value targets in Yemen months ago, if the green light to an attack such as this were granted.
On Saturday, Gallant, alongside IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and other senior defense officials, as well as Netanyahu who is due to address Congress this week, authorized the daylight attack.
ISRAEL STRIKES IN YEMEN
In response to the lethal drone strike in Tel Aviv launched by the Houthi terror group early Friday morning, the IAF conducted a massive strike targeting the Houthi-controlled port city of Al Hudaydah, Yemen.
Over 20 Israeli warplanes, including… pic.twitter.com/2zX0BnTQNX
— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) July 21, 2024
Commentators and analysts noted the approximately 2,500-mile round trip to Yemen – hence the need for refueling aircraft – and have extrapolated the strike also as a warning to Tehran. The distance from Israel to Iran is approximately two-thirds of the distance from Israel to Yemen.
Local reports also said the Israeli aircraft did not simply attack from a distance, but were “low and loud” in the skies above Yemen. That too was meant as a warning about how close the planes could come to their targets, seemingly unmolested.
Indeed, Gallant released a statement from the defense ministry headquarters, which laid out in plain language the reason for Israel’s response.
“The fire … currently burning in Yemen is seen across the Middle East. The blood of Israeli citizens has a price. This has been made clear in Lebanon, in Gaza, in Yemen and in other places — if they dare to attack us, the result will be identical,” he warned.
It is thought the choice of these targets was more than merely practical – it was assumed the fires would burn for days providing a very visible reminder of the costs of taking Israeli lives.
The fire that is currently burning in Yemen is seen across the Middle East. The blood of Israeli citizens has a price. pic.twitter.com/r3Aq3GNl1J
— יואב גלנט – Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) July 20, 2024
Netanyahu took to X to remind Israel’s enemies it “would act against those who attack us.”
“And to Israel’s enemies, I have a simple message: Do not doubt Israel’s determination to defend itself on every front. All those who seek to harm us will pay a very heavy price for their aggression.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening:
“From the beginning of the war, I made it clear that Israel will act against all those who attack us.
This is why earlier today, I asked the Israeli cabinet to back my decision to strike against the Houthi targets in Yemen. pic.twitter.com/xWE3KXQaeV
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) July 20, 2024
Israel made a point of carrying out the attack alone – without any U.S. involvement – although Washington was informed – as were other Middle Eastern partners – of the strike.
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the strikes were not only about Israel’s defense but also because the Houthis have “targeted other countries in the Middle East, the United States, and other countries around the world with their attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.”
“Israel’s necessary and proportionate strikes were carried out in order to stop and repel the Houthi’s terror attacks after 9 months of continuous aerial attacks toward Israeli territory.”
Hear from IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagari on Israel’s response to the Houthi… pic.twitter.com/VEocconfhJ
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 20, 2024
The Houthi-run health ministry said the strike caused casualties.
An official in the Iran-backed group said the attack would be met with “escalation,” according to the Times of Israel.
“The Zionist entity will pay the price for targeting civilian facilities, and we will meet escalation with escalation,” Houthi politburo member Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said in a post on social media.
On Sunday, Israel’s Arrow 3 defense system downed a ballistic missile – outside of Israeli airspace – which the Iranian-backed Houthis launched. Sirens sounded in Israel’s southernmost city Eilat – a favorite Houthi target – as a precautionary measure for fear of falling shrapnel. The IDF acknowledged it had been preparing for retaliatory strikes following its targeting of the Al-Hudaydah port.
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