Israel launched multiple airstrikes early Monday on ports and a power plant in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen, hours after a commercial ship was attacked in the Red Sea.
The strikes targeted the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa, and Salif, and the Ras Kanatib power station, according to the Israeli military.
Israel also struck the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle carrier seized by the Houthis in November 2023. The Israeli military said the Houthis had installed a radar system on the ship and were using it to track maritime traffic for possible attacks.
The vessel, which sails under the Bahamian flag, was affiliated with an Israeli billionaire and operated by a Japanese company. Israel said no Israelis were onboard.
These were Israel’s first strikes on Yemen in almost a month. The military said the attacks were in response to repeated Houthi missile launches towards Israel.
Shortly after the airstrikes, two missiles were fired from Yemen into Israeli territory. Sirens went off in Jerusalem, Hebron, and areas near the Dead Sea. Israel’s military said it tried to intercept the missiles. No injuries or damage were reported.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed the operation, named “Black Flag.” He warned that the Houthis would “continue to pay a heavy price” and added that Israel would take the same action against Yemen as it would against Iran. “Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have their hand cut off,” he said.
The Houthis confirmed the airstrikes through their media outlets but did not report any casualties or damage. The group’s spokesperson Ameen Hayyan Yemeni said their air defences forced Israeli jets to retreat, using locally-made surface-to-air missiles. He said this caused confusion among Israeli pilots and command units. The Houthis claimed about 30 minutes of clashes between their air defence systems and Israeli aircraft.
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Al Masirah TV, which is run by the Houthis, reported that the Israeli strikes hit the port city of Hodeidah. The Saba news agency also confirmed the airstrikes on the three ports and the power station.
The port of Hodeidah, which is the main entry point for humanitarian aid in Yemen, has been targeted by Israeli airstrikes before, in May and June. The Ras Kanatib power plant supplies electricity to cities like Ibb and Taizz.
The latest escalation began after an attack late Sunday on a Liberian-flagged commercial ship called Magic Seas near the port of Hodeidah. The bulk carrier caught fire and was later abandoned by its crew. Security sources said the ship was attacked about 100 kilometers southwest of Hodeidah.
According to Ambrey, a private maritime security firm, the vessel was first attacked by eight skiffs with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. Later, bomb-carrying drone boats struck the ship. Two drones reportedly hit the vessel, while two others were destroyed by the security guards onboard. The crew was rescued by a passing ship.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations center described the situation as ongoing at the time of the incident. It confirmed that the vessel was taking on water and had been abandoned.
While no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the UK agency said it matched the “established Houthi target profile.” Yemen’s Information Minister from the exiled government, Moammar al-Eryani, blamed the Houthis and said the attack showed Iran’s continued support in arming the group with missiles, drones, sea mines, and other technology.
The Magic Seas was heading north to the Suez Canal and had an armed security team onboard at the time of the attack.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, using missiles and drones.
Two ships have been sunk and four sailors killed. This has disrupted a shipping route that usually handles around $1 trillion worth of global trade every year. Although traffic through the Red Sea has slightly improved in recent weeks, it remains below normal levels.
The Houthis had paused their maritime attacks after a temporary ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in January 2025. However, they resumed them after U.S. airstrikes in March killed nearly 300 people in Yemen. Since then, the Houthis have continued to fire missiles at Israel and threatened more action in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
The group has said their attacks on Israel and commercial shipping are acts of solidarity with Gaza, which has been under Israeli military operations since the war with Hamas began in 2023.
References: Al Jazeera, BBC
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