Egypt Daily News – On Friday, Israel bombed the ports of Hodeidah and Salif in Yemen on the Red Sea as part of its ongoing campaign to weaken the military capabilities of the Houthi group. Israel also vowed to pursue Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi if the attacks on Israel continue.
The Houthis, allied with Iran, have continued to launch missiles at Israel, claiming it is part of a campaign to support the Palestinians in Gaza, despite agreeing to halt attacks on U.S. ships. In response, Israel carried out strikes, including one on May 6 that caused damage to the main airport in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, and resulted in several casualties.
On Friday, the Israeli military stated that the ports of Hodeidah and Salif are used for arms shipments, reiterating its warnings to residents in those areas to evacuate.
Avichay Adraee, the spokesperson for the Israeli military in Arabic, wrote on the social media platform X: “The ports are being used to transport weaponry, providing additional evidence of the Houthi terrorist regime exploiting Yemen’s civilian infrastructure to support terrorist activities.”
He added, “In light of the Houthi terrorist regime’s use of the ports for terrorist purposes, the Israel Defense Forces once again warns people in those ports to stay away and evacuate the area.”
Residents in Hodeidah reported hearing four loud explosions and seeing smoke rising from the port following the Israeli airstrikes.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued a joint statement pledging to pursue Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.
The statement said, “If the Houthis continue launching missiles at the State of Israel, they will be severely harmed, and we will also target their leaders.” It added that the Houthi leader could join the list of leaders killed by Israel, such as Yehya Sinwar, a senior leader of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), and Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of the Lebanese Hezbollah group.
The Houthi group is part of the “Axis of Resistance” formed by Iran to oppose Israeli and American interests in the Middle East, alongside Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and other regional groups. Around 60% of Yemen’s population lives in areas controlled by the Houthis.
Since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas in October 2023, the Houthis have launched dozens of missiles and drones toward Israel, most of which were intercepted or fell without hitting their targets.
