JERUSALEM/CAIRO - Israeli fighter jets struck Houthi military targets near Yemen's Hodeidah port on July 20, killing at least three people and wounding 87, a day after a drone launched by the Iranian-backed group hit Israeli economic hub Tel Aviv.

Most of the wounded suffered severe burns in air strikes that targeted oil facilities and a power station, Al-Masirah TV, the main television news outlet run by Yemen's Houthi movement, quoted the health ministry there as saying.

Hodeidah residents told Reuters by phone that explosions were heard throughout the city during an intensive bombardment, and Al-Masirah TV said civil defence forces and firefighters were trying to extinguish fires in the port's oil tanks.

Israel's military spokesperson said the port had been used by the Houthis to receive weapons shipments from Iran. The targets, more than 1,700km from Israel, included dual-use sites like energy infrastructure, he said.

Israel had informed allies ahead of the strike, which the military said was carried out by Israeli F-15 fighters that all returned safely.

The Houthis' Supreme Political Council said there would be an "effective response" to the Israeli airstrikes. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree added that "they will not hesitate to strike vital targets of the Israeli enemy".

The strike on Yemen, which Israeli officials said came after more than 200 Houthi attacks on Israel, underlined fears that the Gaza war, triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct 7, could spiral into a regional conflict.

"The fire that is currently burning in Hodeidah is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear," Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement.

"The Houthis attacked us over 200 times. The first time that they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do this in any place where it may be required."

On July 19, a long-range Iranian-made drone launched from Yemen hit the centre of Tel Aviv in an attack claimed by the Houthis, killing one man and wounding four others.

That attack followed an escalation in the daily exchange of fire between Israeli forces and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon and comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to travel to Washington in the US where he is due to address the US Congress.

Mr Netanyahu called on the international community to step up pressure on Tehran and its proxies - the Houthis, Hamas and Hezbollah - and in doing so, help secure international trade routes.

"Whoever wants to see a stable and safe Middle East needs to stand against Iran's axis of evil, and support Israel's struggle against Iran and its proxies," Mr Netanyahu said.

The war that started on Oct. 7th is taking a new direction. The regional conflict is now evolving and there’ll be more tit for tat between the Houthis and Israel, new rules of engagement to emerge. pic.twitter.com/EnO8GnB4sX

— Ali Hashem علي هاشم (@alihashem_tv) July 20, 2024

Meanwhile, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Mr Nasser Kanaani, condemned the Israeli attacks and "warned against the risk of escalation of tension and the spread of war in the region as a result of the dangerous adventurism of the Zionists", the Iranian state media reported.

In a statement, Hezbollah also condemned the attack on Hodeidah, describing it as "a foolish step... that marks a new and dangerous phase of the extremely important ongoing confrontation".

As the war in Gaza has gone on, the Houthis have stepped up attacks against Israel and Western targets, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.

They began attacking Western ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.Their attacks have upended global trade by forcing shipowners to reroute vessels away from the vital Suez Canal shortcut, and have drawn retaliatory US and British strikes since February.

"A brutal Israeli aggression targeted civilian buildings, oil facilities and power station in Hodeidah aiming at pressuring Yemen to stop supporting Gaza," Mr Mohammed Abdulsalam, chief negotiator for the Houthi movement, said on X.

He said the attack would "only increase our determination, steadfastness, continuity".

A Saudi ministry of defence spokesperson said that the kingdom was not involved in or participating in the targeting of Hodeidah, adding Saudi Arabia "will not allow its airspace to be infiltrated by any party" whatsoever.

#ISRAEL #YEMEN #HOUTHIS #TheLongArm

Video from Hodeidah port, Yemenis fleeing in panic

《The distance from Israel to Hodeidah is 2000 km, and the distance from Israel to Tehran is only 1600 km...》#IDF #AIRFORCE #port #Hodeidah #attack #distance #message #Iran #Tehran pic.twitter.com/fPdC4IVgTU

— n_aroma🎗💙🤍🇮🇱🇨🇦 (@nira_aroma) July 20, 2024

Egypt, which has been trying to help broker a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, said it was following "with great concern" the Israeli strike. Hezbollah condemned the port strike and said it stood by Yemen.

Hamas stormed Israeli towns on Oct 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, nearly 39,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip, according to the health authorities in the enclave.

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Source: Reuters