Israel strikes Houthis' ‘military infrastructure’, hits Hodeidah port in Yemen after evacuation warning

The Israeli military on Tuesday, September 16 launched airstrikes on the port city of Hodeida in Yemen hours after evacuation warning. It hit “military infrastructure” used by Houthis, AP reported. Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels activated their air defenses in response to it, which caused “significant confusion” to Israeli's aircraft and “forced combat formations to leave the airspace before carrying out its aggression”.

"A short while ago, the IDF (Israeli military) struck a military infrastructure site belonging to the Huthi terrorist regime at the Hodeida port in Yemen," an army statement mentioned, according to AFP. It claimed the Houthis used the port "for the transfer of weapons supplied by the Iranian regime, in order to execute attacks against the State of Israel and its allies."

“Our air defenses are currently confronting the Israeli aircrafts that are launching an aggression against our country,” the spokesperson Yayha Saree said on X. In a later post, Saree added, “The air defenses caused significant confusion to the enemy aircraft and forced some of its combat formations to leave the airspace before carrying out its aggression, and its entry into the depth was foiled, by the grace of God.”

This comes after Israeli airstrikes last week targeting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen caused significant destruction in residential areas of the capital, Sanaa, leaving many homes in ruins, AP reported. With no assistance from local authorities and widespread poverty, residents said they cannot afford to rebuild on their own.

The strikes, which occurred on Wednesday, killed 46 people, including 11 women and five children and injured 165, according to casualty figures released on Thursday by the rebel-controlled health ministry in Sanaa, the report said. Most of the victims were in the capital. Rebel officials also said that 11 local journalists were among those killed.

The strikes were carried out in retaliation for a Houthi drone that breached Israel’s multi-layered air defense system and struck a southern Israeli airport, shattering windows and wounding one person.

In addition to residential neighbourhoods, the airstrikes also hit a military command center, a fuel station in Sanaa, and a government building in Hazm, the capital of the northern Jawf province. The rebel-run culture ministry said the National Museum of Yemen was damaged as well, with video footage showing harm to its exterior.

Sanaa residents recount damage resulted from airstrikes

Sanaa residents said they were unable to rebuild without support. In the city's central Tahrir district, dozens of homes were damaged. Um Talal, a local resident living with her daughter and two sons, said she has no confidence that the authorities will step in to help with repairs.

They described how the airstrikes destroyed the walls of their living room and damaged the kitchen, leaving behind dirt, debris, and rubble. “Everything was lost in the blink of an eye. Authorities haven’t even called us to this day," she told AP. Despite the damage, she said her family would repair what they could and remain in their home.

Another resident, Ahmed al-Wasabi, said he and his family were fortunate to be away when an airstrike partially ruined their house. “The explosions terrified people who went running and children and women were crying and screaming," Khaled al-Dabeai, a grocery shop owner who mentioned that the products came out of shelves due to the force of the explosions.

(With inputs from agencies)