Israeli airstrike on Yemen a ‘warning’ to enemies, defense minister says

The Houthis have launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel since October, but Friday’s attack was the first to result in casualties.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Saturday night that Israel’s airstrike on Yemen was a warning to Israel’s enemies in the region.

“The fire that is currently burning in Al Hudaydah, is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear,” 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.”

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed striking military targets belonging to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen’s Red Sea port of Al Hudayadah on Saturday.

A distance of 1,700 km, the airstrike would be one of the furthest in Israeli Air Force history.

The strike was in retaliation for a drone attack on Tel Aviv on Friday, which killed an Israeli man and injured seven others.

The Israeli fatality was identified as 50-year-old Yevgeny Ferder, a Belarussian immigrant.

The Houthi drone took an unusual path from Yemen over Egyptian airspace before circling back over the Mediterranean towards Tel Aviv.

The Houthis have launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel since October, but Friday’s attack was the first to result in casualties.

IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters Israel acted alone in launching the airstrike on its own and called on the international community to stand by Israel.

“Israel expects the countries of the world to stand on one front, this is a common international interest,” Hagari said.

The Houthis vowed in early December to target any Israel-bound ship in the Red Sea, regardless of its ownership. They have attacked or harassed numerous ships and hijacked the MV Galaxy Leader in November and are holding its crew of 25 hostage.

From bases along the Yemeni coast, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have threatened ships in the Red Sea as they traverse the Bab el-Mandeb Straits, a narrow maritime chokepoint between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. The majority of the world’s oil passes through the strait from the Indian Ocean towards the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea.