US, Israel bomb Yemen’s Hodeida port after Houthi strike on airport
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Burned vehicles lying near the port of Ras Issa in Hodeida, Yemen, following US strikes on April 18.
PHOTO: AFP
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CAIRO – Yemen’s Houthis said the US and Israel struck the port of Hodeida on May 5, hours after a reported US air raid on Sanaa and a day after the Iran-backed rebels targeted Israel’s main airport.
The Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV said that “US-Israeli aggression (targeted) with six strikes the port of Hodeida” on Yemen’s western coast, also reporting “US-Israeli aggression on the Bajil district” in the same province.
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to AFP that Israeli warplanes struck Yemen.
Earlier, the Houthis’ Saba news agency said US strikes hit the capital Sanaa and the airport road
Al-Masirah reported another three strikes in Sanaa and seven in the northern governorate of Al-Jawf.
The reports on Houthi media come after Israel said a missile fired from Yemen on May 4 struck inside the perimeter of Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv for the first time.
The Houthis claimed responsibility, saying they fired a “hypersonic ballistic missile” at Ben Gurion, Israel’s main international gateway.
The rebels said they “will work to impose a comprehensive air blockade on the Israeli enemy by repeatedly targeting airports, most notably... Ben Gurion Airport”.
The missile gouged a wide crater in the ground near an airport carpark, injuring six people and forcing airlines to suspend flights.
The Houthis, who control swathes of Yemen, including Sanaa, have launched missiles and drones targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a tough response against the Houthis
In a video published on messaging app Telegram before the reported attack on Hodeida, Mr Netanyahu said Israel had “acted against” the Houthis in the past and “will act in the future”.
Without elaborating, he added: “It will not happen in one bang, but there will be many bangs.”
On social media platform X, Mr Netanyahu said Israel would also respond to Iran at “a time and place of our choosing”.
Iran denial
Iran on May 5 denied supporting the attack, calling it an “independent decision” by the Yemeni rebels taken in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Reacting to Mr Netanyahu’s threats, the Islamic republic warned it would retaliate against any attack on its territory.
“Iran underlines (its) firm determination... to defend itself,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said, warning Israel and the US of “consequences”.
An Israeli military spokesperson told AFP that the May 4 attack was “the first time” that a missile has directly struck inside the airport perimeter.
An AFP journalist inside the airport during the attack said he heard a “loud bang” at around 9.35am local time (2.35pm Singapore time), adding that the “reverberation was very strong”.
Flights resumed after being halted briefly, with the aviation authority saying on May 4 that Ben Gurion was “open and operational”.
Some international airlines have cancelled flights, including Swiss, which extended its suspension until May 11.
US strikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels began under former president Joe Biden, but have intensified under his successor, Mr Donald Trump. AFP
