Israeli fighter jets strike Houthi targets in Yemen

Israeli fighter jets struck Houthi military targets near Yemen's Hodeidah port on Saturday, killing at least three people and wounding 87, a day after a drone launched by the Iranian-backed group hit Tel Aviv.

Most of the wounded suffered severe burns in air strikes that targeted oil facilities and a power station, Al-Masirah TV, the main television news outlet run by Yemen's Houthi movement, quoted the health ministry as saying.

Hodeidah residents told Reuters by phone that explosions were heard throughout the city during an intensive bombardment, and Al-Masirah TV said civil defense forces and firefighters were trying to extinguish fires in the port's oil tanks.

Israel's military spokesperson said the port had been used by the Houthis to receive weapons shipments from Iran. The targets, more than 1,700 km (1,056 miles) from Israel, included dual-use sites such as energy infrastructure, he said.

Israel had informed allies before the strike, which the military said was carried out by Israeli F-15 fighters that all returned safely.

The Houthis' Supreme Political Council said there would be an "effective response" to the strikes. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the Houthis "will not hesitate to strike vital targets of the Israeli enemy."

"The fire that is currently burning in Hodeidah is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear," Israeli Defence Minister Yoav 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."

Netanyahu called on the international community to step up pressure on Tehran and its proxies - the Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah - and in so doing help secure international trade routes.

"Whoever wants to see a stable and safe Middle East needs to stand against Iran's axis of evil and support Israel's struggle against Iran and its proxies," Netanyahu said.

Meanwhile, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani, condemned the Israeli attacks and "warned against the risk of escalation of tension and the spread of war in the region as a result of the dangerous adventurism of the Zionists," Iranian state media reported.

In a statement, Hezbollah also condemned the attack on Hodeidah, describing it as "a foolish step ... that marks a new and dangerous phase of the extremely important ongoing confrontation."

"A brutal Israeli aggression targeted civilian buildings, oil facilities, and power station in Hodeidah aiming at pressuring Yemen to stop supporting Gaza," Mohammed Abdulsalam, chief negotiator for the Houthi movement, said on X.

He said the attack would "only increase our determination, steadfastness, (and) continuity."\

A Saudi Ministry of Defense spokesperson said that the kingdom was not involved in or participating in the targeting of Hodeidah, adding Saudi Arabia "will not allow its airspace to be infiltrated by any party" whatsoever.

Reuters