Posted on 05/16/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
According to foreign media reports, the Israeli Air Force carried out strikes Friday on terror targets in the western Yemeni port city of Al-Hudeidah, targeting Houthi infrastructure in response to repeated missile launches toward Israel.
Reports indicate that the IDF targeted three key maritime ports—Hudeidah, Ras Isa, and Al-Salif—which Israel had previously warned must be evacuated. These ports have been linked to the Houthi terror organization’s efforts to smuggle arms and launch attacks.
Senior Houthi official, Nasr al-Din Amer, declared, 'We are in an open battle against Israel and we will not stop our attacks nor lift the siege on the Gulf of Eilat, and we will not cease our efforts to continue the aerial siege on Israeli airports. We will expand our military activity alongside the expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza and its continued attacks against the ports of Yemen.
'It should be noted that this is the eighth Israeli strike in Yemen since the beginning of the war, and the third since the resumption of fighting in Gaza. Since the last strike ten days ago, the Houthis have launched seven ballistic missiles and two drones.
A significant strike is also underway in the Gaza Strip.
The strike came after the Houthis launched another long-range missile toward Israel Thursday night. The missile was intercepted by the Arrow 3 defense system, but not before sirens sounded at 21:10 across central Israel, including in the Dan Region, the Sharon, the Shfela, and parts of Judea and Samaria. The alert interrupted Lag BaOmer celebrations, as many families and children were gathered around traditional bonfires.
The missile launch also disrupted air traffic, causing temporary halts in takeoffs and landings at Ben Gurion Airport. Interception debris reportedly fell in the Gush Etzion community of Alon Shvut.
This marked the second missile attack by the Iran-backed Houthis in just two days. On Wednesday morning, another missile launch triggered sirens at 7:44 AM in the Jerusalem area, Shfela, and Judea and Samaria as children were heading to school. That missile was also intercepted successfully.
The IDF had previously issued warnings to vacate the targeted Yemeni ports, and the latest strike appears to signal a shift from threats to direct military action aimed at halting the ongoing threat from Yemen.