Egypt Daily News – Firefighters continued their attempts to extinguish the fire that broke out in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni port of Hodeidah, after Israeli strikes caused a massive fire to break out and resulted in 6 deaths.
The strikes that targeted this strategic port in western Yemen on Saturday, which constitutes a major entry point for fuel and humanitarian aid, are the first that Israel has adopted in this country, which is about 1,800 kilometers away from its territory.
The Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, vowed on Sunday a “massive response.” The spokesman announced that the Houthis fired ballistic missiles towards the Israeli city of Eilat on the Red Sea.
For its part, the Israeli army reported on Sunday that it had intercepted a missile coming from Yemen and “it was approaching Israel.”
On Saturday, Israeli fighter jets raided Houthi targets in the port of the Yemeni city of Hodeidah, the day after the Iranian-backed Houthis claimed a bomb-laden drone attack that killed one person in Tel Aviv.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant vowed on Saturday to launch further operations against the Houthis “if they dare to attack us.”
On Sunday, a thick cloud of black smoke covered the airspace of Hodeidah, according to an Agence France-Presse correspondent at the location.
An employee at the port, who did not want to reveal his identity, said that the fire continues in the fuel depots and the electricity station, pointing out that containing the fire requires several days, which was also confirmed by experts in Yemen affairs, as the fire brigades lack the necessary equipment.
Muhammad Al-Basha, chief Middle East analyst at the American “Navante” group, reported that the fire may extend to food storage facilities.
Nicholas Broomfield, an expert on Yemen, wrote on the X platform that the attack “could have catastrophic humanitarian repercussions for millions of Yemenis.”
The internationally recognized Yemeni government condemned the Israeli strikes, holding Israel responsible for “deepening the humanitarian crisis.” It warned the Houthis against “continuing to mortgage the fate of Yemen and its people and throw them into the group’s senseless battles, to serve the interests of the Iranian regime and its expansionist project in the region.”
