Israeli airstrikes cripple two ports in Yemen used by the Houthi rebels

The Israeli Air Force launched a wave of airstrikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen in response to the Iran-backed militant group’s continuing missile and drone attacks on Israel, government officials said Friday.

The Israel Defense Forces said the attacks targeted the Houthi-controlled Red Sea ports of Hudaydah and Salif. They were used to transfer weapons and were a further example of the Houthis’ “systematic and cynical exploitation” of civilian infrastructure in Yemen to advance their terrorist goals, IDF officials said.

The strikes were conducted after “numerous” advanced warnings were issued by the IDF to the population in the area to mitigate the risk of harm to the civilian populations in the areas of these sites, the IDF said.

“If the Houthis continue to fire missiles at the State of Israel, they will suffer painful blows,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Friday.

The IDF carried out Friday’s air attack with 15 jet fighters that dropped more than 30 bombs are targets controlled by the Houthi regime, officials said.

The latest mission followed a May 7 IDF airstrike on the Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport that reportedly caused $500 million in damages. The Houthis have carried out a campaign of attacks against Israel in what they said was solidarity for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

“Over the past year and a half, the Houthi terrorist regime has been operating under Iranian direction and funding in order to harm the State of Israel and its allies, undermining regional stability and disrupting global freedom of navigation,” the IDF said.

The Houthis are continuing attacks against Israel after signing a ceasefire agreement with the U.S., analysts with the Foundation for Defense of Democracy think tank said.

“The terrorist group is touting its missiles flying over Saudi Arabia during Trump’s visit as a victory over the United States and Israel, claiming that Washington and Jerusalem are divided,” said Bridget Toomey, an FDD research analyst. “Israel continues to demonstrate that it won’t allow these ballistic missile and drone attacks to go unanswered.”

Mr. Katz warned that Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi could share the same fate as Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas leader Yahya al-Sinwar, who were killed during secret IDF missions.