Israel retaliated for the Houthi drone attack in Tel Aviv with airstrikes in Yemen on Saturday that reportedly struck storage services for oil and diesel at a port.
A media outlet managed by the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen reported the airstrikes in the port metropolis of Hodeidah, which additionally hit an area electrical energy firm. Al-Masirah TV mentioned the strikes precipitated deaths and accidents however gave no particulars, the Associated Press reported.
It mentioned there was a big hearth on the port and energy cuts have been widespread.
Health officers in Yemen instructed the AP the strikes killed quite a few individuals and injured others, however didn’t elaborate.
/ AP
The Israeli military mentioned in a press release Saturday that combat jets struck military targets of the Houthis in the world of Al Hudaydah Port in Yemen. It mentioned the strikes have been in “response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months.”
A U.S. official additionally confirmed to CBS News that Israel carried out the airstrikes in Yemen in retaliation for the Houthi drone assault in Tel Aviv on Friday that killed at the very least one particular person and wounded at the very least eight others. The official mentioned there was no U.S. involvement in Saturday’s airstrikes.
Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam wrote on social media platform X that Yemen was subjected to a “blatant Israeli aggression” and mentioned the attacks goal “to increase the suffering of the people and to pressure Yemen to stop supporting Gaza.”
Abdulsalam mentioned the attacks will solely make the individuals of Yemen and its armed forces extra decided to help Gaza.
Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant mentioned on Saturday they retaliated as a result of it was the primary time the Houthi rebels “harmed an Israeli citizen.”
“And we will do this in any place where it may be required,” he mentioned. “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 will dare to attack us, the result will be identical.”
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned the port that was attacked was not “an innocent port” and that it was used as an “entry point for deadly weapons supplied to the Houthis by Iran.”
“I have a message for Israel’s enemies: don’t get us wrong, We will protect ourselves in every way, on every front. Anyone who harms us will pay a very heavy price for his aggression,” he mentioned.
AMIR LEVY / Getty Images
A big explosion rocked the streets of central Tel Aviv in the early Friday morning hours, jolting Israelis off the bed, shattering home windows and raining down shrapnel. Later, Israeli military officers mentioned the explosion was brought on by a drone fired from Yemen.
Houthi rebels, which have been preventing Yemen’s internationally acknowledged authorities in a decade-long civil struggle, claimed accountability for the explosion, saying in social media messages that it marked a “new phase” in its operations in opposition to Israel in response to the Israelis’ ongoing war in opposition to the Houthis’ ideological ally Hamas.
The Houthis mentioned the strike used a “new drone called ‘Yafa’, which is capable of bypassing the enemy’s interception systems,” however a U.S. official instructed CBS News on Friday, echoing the Israeli military’s evaluation, that it appeared to have been one of many group’s current drones, with a modified gas tank to lengthen its vary.Â
The explosion brought on by the drone was very close to the U.S. consulate in Tel Aviv, nevertheless it remained unclear whether or not that was the goal.
Based on verified social media movies, CBS News confirmed the blast occurred somewhat greater than 200 yards from the U.S. consulate in Tel Aviv. A U.S. official instructed CBS News that no American casualties had been reported.
Since January, the U.S. and British forces have been striking targets in Yemen, in response to the Houthis’ attacks on business transport that the rebels have described as retaliation for Israel’s actions in the struggle in Gaza. However, most of the ships focused usually are not linked to Israel.
The joint pressure airstrikes have to this point carried out little to deter the Iran-backed pressure.
The Houthis have launched drones and missiles at Israel and at commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea and surrounding waters all through the nine-month struggle, in solidarity with Hamas. But till Friday, all of the weapons fired at Israel had been intercepted by both Israel or its Western allies.
CBS News’ Tucker Reals and Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.
