Yemen's Houthis say Israeli airstrikes kill nine, target ports and energy infrastructure

AFP , Thursday 19 Dec 2024

Yemen's Houthi rebels said Israeli airstrikes on Thursday killed nine people and struck key ports and energy infrastructure in the country.

Yemen
Footage of Israeli strikes on Yemen, as circulated on X

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened further attacks on Yemen after the group fired a missile toward Israel.

The Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles at Israel, insisting they will cease attacks immediately once a ceasefire is established in Israel's war on Gaza, now in its 14th month.

Israel has previously hit back against targets in Yemen, but Thursday's were the first against the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

"The Israeli enemy targeted ports in Hodeida and power stations in Sanaa, and the Israeli aggression resulted in the martyrdom of nine civilian martyrs," rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said in a lengthy speech broadcast by the rebels' Al-Masira TV.

Al-Masira had earlier reported the raids that "targeted two central power plants" in and around Sanaa, while in Hodeida it said "the enemy launched four aggressive raids targeting the port... and two raids targeting" an oil facility.

It said the strikes killed seven people at Al-Saleef port, while two more were killed and others wounded in the strike on the oil facility.
 


Hodeida is a key entry point for fuel and humanitarian aid to impoverished Yemen, which has been ravaged for years by its own war.

Israel said it struck the targets in Yemen after intercepting a missile fired from the country, a strike the rebels subsequently claimed.

Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the rebels fired ballistic missiles at "two specific and sensitive military targets... in the occupied Yaffa area", referring to the Jaffa region near Tel Aviv.

Israel's military said it "conducted precise strikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen" including ports and energy infrastructure in Sanaa.

Iran denounced the Israeli raids as a "flagrant violation of the principles and norms of international law and the UN Charter".

Palestinian group Hamas called Israel's strikes on Yemen a "dangerous development".

The Houthis said later that they launched a drone at a "military target of the Israeli enemy in the occupied Yaffa area". There was no confirmation from the Israeli side.

The Houthis have also regularly targeted Israel-linked shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to press Israel to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza.

The attacks, in solidarity with Palestinians, have also led to air strikes by the United States and sometimes British forces on so-called Houthi targets in Yemen.

Despite the attacks, the Houthi rebels pledged Monday to continue operations "until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege is lifted".

*This story was edited by Ahram Online

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