Israel’s air force, in coordination with the United States and Britain, conducted airstrikes in Yemen targeting a Houthi power station and two ports used by the Iran-backed group, the military confirmed on Friday.
The targets included military infrastructure sites at Hezyaz power station, and military infrastructure in the Hodeidah and Ras Issa ports on the Western coast.
An informed source told The Jerusalem Post, that during US Central Command (CENTCOM) deputy commander Brad Cooper’s most recent visit to Israel, it was discussed that Jerusalem and Washington would coordinate efforts in handling the Houthi threat.
Israel Air Force Chief Maj. Gen. Tomer in the command center during the strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. January 10, 2024. (Credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
Another source confirmed the strike was coordinated with the American-British coalition, which attacked certain targets – and at the same time, Israel attacked other targets. There was no cooperation in the attack on the targets themselves, but each party struck different targets. The attacks were the largest coordinated Israeli-US-British attack on the Houthis since the start of the war. More than 20 Israeli aircraft partook in the strikes, with around 50 munitions being dropped on terror targets in Yemen, Israeli media reported.
Airstrikes on Yemen’s port of Ras Issa on Friday targeted oil storage facilities in the vicinity of the shipping berths, and no merchant vessels were reported to have been damaged, British security firm Ambrey said.
According to the source, the “work” will be “split” between Israel and the coalition is relatively clear. The coalition will allegedly attack weapons facilities, control and command bases, and underground places, while Israel strikes the Houthi’s economic facilities – which have military and civilian use such as ports, airports, power plants, etc.
According to the reports, the 12 strikes north of the capital were conducted by the US and UK on underground infrastructure belonging to the Houthis.
A strike also reportedly hit Sana’a’s main square during the weekly Friday protests in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Some six strikes also reportedly targeted the port of Hodeidah.
Officials comment on the strikes
After the military publicly confirmed responsibility for the strikes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X/Twitter, “the Houthis are paying, and will continue to pay, a heavy price for their aggression against us.”
“They pose a danger to Israel and the entire region, including a threat to global freedom of navigation,” Netanyahu wrote. “I repeat: We will not tolerate harm to our citizens and our country.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz said that “The port of Hodeidah is paralyzed and the port of Ras Issa is burning – there will be no immunity for anyone. We will also hunt down the leaders of the Houthi terrorist organization. Israel’s long hand reaches and will reach anywhere that harms us – including Yemen.”
The Hamas terror group issued a statement condemning the strikes, claiming the action targeted civilian infrastructure and therefore “constitutes a blatant violation of international law and an assault on Yemen’s sovereignty and the region’s security.”
Describing the actions as “terrorist,” the Hamas claimed that the coalition had targeted a demonstration expressing solidarity with Palestinians – which Hamas described as “a war crime intended to terrorize the Yemeni people and dissuade them from their decision to support efforts to deter the aggression against our Palestinian people.”
Previous strikes
Earlier this week, CENTCOM said it had carried out precise attacks on Houthi underground advanced conventional weapons storage facilities.
“The strikes are part of CENTCOM’s effort to degrade Iranian-backed Houthi attempts to threaten regional partners and military and merchant vessels in the region,” it said.
Israel last struck Houthi targets in December, attacking ports and energy infrastructure in Sana’a.
On Thursday, the IDF said that since the beginning of the war, the Houthis had launched some 40 surface-to-surface missiles and 320 drones towards the Jewish state.
Shir Perets, Jerusalem Post Staff, and Reuters contributed to this report.
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