Israel strikes Houthi port in Yemen after attack on Ben Gurion Airport
There were conflicting reports about the degree to which the U.S. military was involved.
Israeli fighter jets attacked the Houthi-controlled Hudaydah port in Yemen, which serves as a “major” income source for the terror regime, the Israel Defense Forces said on Monday night.
“The strike was conducted in response to the repeated attacks by the Houthis against Israel, during which surface-to-surface missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles were launched toward Israeli civilians,” the IDF stated.
“The terrorist infrastructure sites struck in the Hudaydah port serve as a central supply source for the Houthis, and is used for the transfer of Iranian weapons,” per the IDF, which said it also attacked a concrete plant, located east of the city.
The plant “functions as a significant economic resource and is used for the construction of underground tunnels and terrorist infrastructure for the Houthis,” the Israeli military stated. “The strike on the terrorist infrastructure sites was conducted precisely, with measures taken to mitigate harm to vessels docked at the port.”
Arabic media reported that U.S. jets participated in the attack, which came in response to a Houthi missile attack near Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday, but a U.S. official told Axios that Washington had pre-knowledge of but didn’t take part in the attack.
The Houthi missile hurt six people on Sunday and halted flights at the Jewish state’s main airport temporarily.
An initial Israeli Air Force inquiry found that the missile was not intercepted due to a technical malfunction in the interceptor. No issues were found with detection systems or alert protocols.
Israeli officials said that the malfunction was an isolated incident and Israel has a 95% interception success rate against missiles launched from Yemen since the war began.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a forceful response. “We have acted and will act again,” he said. “There will be blows.” PJC
comments