Tensions escalated in the Middle East on Monday as the Israeli military confirmed airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen’s Hodeida port, just hours after the Iran-backed rebels claimed an earlier Israeli attack.
The retaliation follows a missile launched by the Houthis targeting Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on Sunday, which reportedly left a crater near the site.
According to an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) statement cited by AFP, Israeli fighter jets hit terror infrastructure linked to the Houthi regime, both along the Yemeni coastline and inland. The IDF alleged that Hodeida port is a critical channel for Iranian weapon transfers and military equipment used for terror operations.
Meanwhile, the Houthi media office accused both the U.S. and Israel of launching six coordinated strikes on Hodeida, including one that hit a cement factory in Bajil district. The U.S. military also reportedly conducted separate airstrikes on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, according to the Associated Press.
This flare-up marks a significant deepening of regional hostilities, with Yemen becoming a growing frontline in the broader Iran-Israel shadow conflict.
