Sanaa (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Monday, the Israeli military targeted Houthi positions in Yemen’s Hodeidah port during its latest operation. Meanwhile, Houthi forces have been attacking ships headed for Israel and firing missiles at the country.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz expressed that the defence forces were
“forcefully countering any attempt to restore the terror infrastructure previously attacked”.
The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV stated on Monday that a series of attacks on the port was underway.
The Israeli military said in a statement that the port it struck had been used
“among other things, to transfer weapons from the Iranian regime, which the Houthi then uses to execute terrorist attacks against the State of Israel and its allies.”
“As I have made clear – Yemen’s fate is the same as Tehran’s. The Houthis will pay a heavy price for launching missiles toward the State of Israel,”
Katz stated.
What was the impact of the missile near Ben Gurion?
On May 4, 2025, Yemen’s Houthi movement launched a ballistic missile aimed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. The major attack struck near the airport’s main terminal, damaging a road and a vehicle.
Although the missile came down during multiple attempts for interception by some of the world’s most sophisticated missile defense systems, it was ultimately not intercepted and resulted in eight injured people and a temporary grounding of flights from the airport. In modern times, it was the first time a missile had fallen so close to Israel’s main airport, and the attack also cancelled several international flights.
How has Israel responded to Houthi ballistic threats?
Since May 2025, Israel has conducted a number of significant air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in retaliation for the Houthis’ consistent use of ballistic missiles and drones against Israeli territory. The first significant strike by Israel occurred on May 5, 2025, when the Israeli Air Force bombed Houthi-run sites, which included destroying the Sanaa International Airport and several planes, after a Houthi ballistic missile landed close to Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport.
Israel’s subsequent operations, often dubbed “Operation Black Flag”, targeted major sites including ports in Hodeidah, Ras Isa, and Salif and power plants including the Ras Kanatib site.
