Israeli fighter jets conducted an airstrike on Yemen Saturday following a Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv Thursday, according to U.S. and Israeli officials.
The Houthi Islamist militant group backed by Iran has increased attacks recently against Israel and other Western targets, reportedly acting in solidarity with Palestinians.
Saturday morning’s strike marks Israel’s first direct attack on Yemen, more than 1,000 miles away.
"[Israeli Defense Force] warplanes recently attacked military targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the Hodeida port area in Yemen, in response to the hundreds of attacks against the State of Israel in recent months,” said a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces.
Israeli Prime Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke on Friday with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to inform him of the response to Thursday’s drone strike, which resulted in several Israelis being wounded and one fatality.
Israeli and U.S. military officials spoke multiple times on Saturday ahead of the strike.
The Yemeni television network Al-Masirah, run by the Houthi movement, reported the strikes were directed against oil facilities in the port area of Hodeidah, with some fatalities.
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Houthis in Yemen ramped up attacks on Western ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden following the Israeli invasion of Gaza after the Hamas terrorist attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7.
An official for the IDF told reporters on Saturday that Israel “has nothing against the citizens of Yemen” and does not want a regional war but added that the attack on Tel Aviv “crossed all the red lines” and merited a response.
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