Israeli Jets Bomb Sites in Yemen Linked to Iran-Backed Houthis

The strike was retaliation for a drone attack launched from Yemen a day earlier, which evaded Israel’s defenses and hit a building in Tel Aviv, killing one person

By Aaron Boxerman, Ronen Bergman and Eric Schmitt

Aaron Boxerman reported from Jerusalem, Eric Schmitt from Washington and Ronen Bergman from Tel Aviv.

Israeli fighter jets bombed sites in Yemen linked to the Iran-backed Houthi militia on Saturday in retaliation for a deadly drone attack in Tel Aviv a day earlier. It was the first time Israel has publicly struck the group following months of escalating Houthi attacks.

The airstrikes targeted gas and oil depots and a power station that Israel said were used for military purposes in the area of the Red Sea port of Hodeidah. The port is controlled by the Houthis and contains oil export facilities.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, said the operation was “one of the farthest and longest ever conducted by the Israeli air force.” He called the port a major supply route for Iranian weapons to Yemen.

But the Hodeidah port is also a vital conduit for humanitarian aid to impoverished Yemen, and Admiral Hagari said Israel had struck some “dual-use” targets that could be for civilian or military purposes.

The Israeli strike was a response to about 200 missiles and drones launched by the Houthis at Israel over the past several months, according to Admiral Hagari.

Nasruddin Amer, a Houthi spokesman, wrote on social media after the Israeli bombardment that his group would continue to attack Israel as part of a military campaign the group says is an expression of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

“Yemen’s operations in support of Gaza will not stop,” he vowed. “The response to this aggression is inevitable.”

On Friday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for firing a long-range drone that struck Tel Aviv, killing one Israeli and wounding several, part of a monthslong Houthi campaign against Israel. In addition to the hundreds of missiles and drones fired at Israel, the Houthis have menaced ships passing through the Red Sea to try to blockade the Israeli port of Eilat.

Israel is already fighting a war against Hamas on its southern front in Gaza and trading fire incessantly with Hezbollah in Lebanon to the north — two groups also backed by Iran. Its response on Saturday appeared calibrated not to incite a full-blown war on a third front.

The Israeli military said it was not tightening its emergency regulations after the attack, an indication that it did not expect its strike to lead to a more serious escalation.

In response to the Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, which have forced hundreds of commercial ships to take a costly detour around southern Africa, the United States, Britain and their allies have struck hundreds of Houthi targets in Yemen since November and have been sharing intelligence with Israel for months.

The United States was not involved in the strikes on Saturday, nor did it coordinate or assist Israel with the strikes, the National Security Council said.

“We fully recognize and acknowledge Israel’s right to self-defense,” it added in a statement.

The drone attack in Tel Aviv on Friday appeared to have tipped the scales in favor of direct Israeli action against the Houthi militants.Credit...Amir Levy/Getty Images

The deadly Houthi drone attack in Tel Aviv — which struck close to an American diplomatic compound — was a rare breach of Israel’s air defenses. Most of the missiles and drones fired by the Houthis at Israel have been shot down by Israel, the United States and its allies.

The Israeli military said its surveillance had apparently managed to pick up the drone, but officers had failed to identify it as a threat and shoot it down.

Until Saturday, Israel had avoided a full-on attack against the Houthis in Yemen, which is more than 1,000 miles away. But the drone strike in Tel Aviv appeared to tip the scales, and by Saturday afternoon, Israeli fighter jets were spotted flying in broad daylight toward Yemen.

The strike ignited an enormous fire across the port area, possibly from burning fuel.

“The fire burning in Hodeidah is seen across the Middle East, and the significance is clear,” Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister, said after the attack.

“The Houthis attacked us over 200 times. The first time that they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them — and we will do this wherever it may be required,” he added.

While the attack on Tel Aviv forced Israel’s hand, striking back against the Houthis in Yemen will not likely be a turning point in the war engulfing the region, said Danny Citrinowicz, a former senior Israeli intelligence officer.

The only way to end the fighting would be a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, he said, and it is unclear how long that will take.

“We can attack Iran’s proxies as much as we want, but without such a cease-fire, we cannot end this war,” Mr. Citrinowicz said. “Even this attack will not cut the Gordian knot with which the Houthis have bound themselves to Hamas.”

The Houthis have repeatedly threatened to turn any retaliation against them into a grinding war. Brig. Gen. Abed al-Thawr, a senior Houthi military official, said in an interview on Friday night that the group still had “weapons that haven’t been unveiled yet.”

“All Israeli cities have now come under the reach of our targeting,” he threatened.

Shuaib Almosawa contributed reporting from Bangalore, India.

Aaron Boxerman is a Times reporting fellow with a focus on international news. More about Aaron Boxerman

Ronen Bergman is a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, based in Tel Aviv. His latest book is “Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations,” published by Random House. More about Ronen Bergman

Eric Schmitt is a national security correspondent for The Times, focusing on U.S. military affairs and counterterrorism issues overseas, topics he has reported on for more than three decades. More about Eric Schmitt