It took two hours and 50 minutes for the IDF F-15s, F-35s, and other fighter jets, which carried out around 10 airstrikes on Saturday evening against the Houthis, to reach their targets in the area of the Hodeidah Port in Yemen, the IDF announced on Sunday.
Footage of an Israeli F-35 refueling in the air during Operation Outstretched Arm. (IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)
The aircraft took off around 3 p.m. and struck their targets around 6 p.m.
Although the IDF kept classified the exact number of aircraft it used to refuel its fighter jets to make the 1,800-kilometer flight and return safely, it provided a dramatic video showing some of that mid-air refueling in real-time.
Moreover, the IDF provided a separate video showing four different missiles honing in on the Hodeidah Port area target, with one missile after the next lashing into the industrial site until there was almost nothing left.
A third video recorded IDF Air Force Chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar congratulating his pilots on their way back, once they were safely out of range of enemy forces.
Furthermore, a wide variety of attack aircraft, intelligence-collecting aircraft, refueling aircraft, rescue aircraft, and defensive forces participated in the attack, although the exact quantity of aircraft remains classified.
Israeli airstrikes targeted oil-refining facilities in Hodeidah as well as Yemeni air force assets, to disrupt the transport of Iranian weapons to Yemen. According to reports, dozens of people were killed or wounded in the strikes.
Port was used as a shield for mixing massive weapons imports with humanitarian aid
Although the Houthis try to present the port as being used for humanitarian purposes, multiple top Israeli officials said that it is a shield for mixing massive weapons imports with humanitarian aid.
Local sources in Yemen told Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen that there were power outages in several areas in Hodeidah as a result of the Israeli strikes that hit an electricity production plant.
Israel was clear that it had undertaken the attack without US help, though it had notified Washington in advance. There were also hints that allied Arab countries, like the Saudis, could have assisted by allowing the use of their airspace or with refueling issues, which have been long discussed.
On April 13-14, the Saudis assisted Israel with operational intelligence to shoot down Iran’s aerial attacks.Yemen has fired over 200 times at Israel. Until now, Jerusalem has left the defense to America.
Moreover, Yemen and Saudi Arabia have been in on-and-off conflicts over the last decade, since the Houthis, with Iranian support, took over much of the country from its prior Sunni rulers.
Though they are not currently actively fighting, previously, Riyadh heavily bombed the Houthis, while the Iranian proxy caused serious damage to the Saudis with rocket, missile, and drone attacks.
After Yemen’s attack on Tel Aviv, killing one and wounding around a dozen, Jerusalem decided that the Houthis, a proxy of Iran, had crossed a red line.
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