SANAA/JERUSALEM, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli military carried out retaliatory airstrikes on Friday targeting Yemen's port city of Hodeidah and the Salif oil terminal on the Red Sea, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.
No casualties have been confirmed so far.
The fresh strikes came as the Houthis were preparing the ports to receive fuel shipments, according to a source who spoke to Xinhua. Houthi-controlled areas, including the capital Sanaa, have been experiencing fuel shortages since the last round of Israeli airstrikes on May 6. These shortages have since worsened.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed in a joint statement that the Israeli Air Force had attacked and "severely damaged" the Red Sea ports of Hodeidah and Salif, aiming to disrupt Houthi activity there.
Netanyahu said, "We will harm them much more, including their leadership and all infrastructure that enables them to harm us."
Katz warned that if the Houthis continue to fire missiles at Israel, "they will be hit hard, including their leaders."
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also confirmed the attack in a separate statement, saying it had struck and dismantled "terrorist infrastructure" used by the Houthis in the two ports, which the group allegedly used to transfer weapons.
The IDF noted that multiple warnings had been issued to civilians in the area prior to the strikes, in an effort to mitigate harm to non-combatants.
This marks the eighth Israeli aerial strike on Houthi targets in northern Yemen since the group began launching drone and missile attacks against Israel in November 2023, citing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The Houthis have also targeted Israel-linked commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
On May 6, Israeli airstrikes severely damaged Sanaa International Airport, destroying its runway, a passenger plane, and critical infrastructure, rendering the facility inoperable. The strikes, which hit the Yemeni capital and nearby Amran province, killed three people and wounded at least 39, according to Houthi-run health authorities.
The latest attack came after an Oman-brokered ceasefire agreement between the Houthis and the United States, under which the Houthis agreed to suspend attacks on U.S. vessels in the Red Sea in exchange for a halt to American airstrikes on Houthi positions. ■
