LAST UPDATE | 21 Jul

HOUTHI REBELS HAVE promised a “huge” retaliation against Israel following a deadly strike on the port of Hodeida, as violence sparked by the Gaza war gripped the region.

Six people died and and 87 people are injured after a number of Israeli jets struck port facilities in the Yemeni port of Hodeidha, targetting the Houthis.

Houthi chief Abdul Malik al-Huthi said the strikes would lead to “further escalation and more attacks targeting Israel”.

Friday’s drone strike on Tel Aviv has changed the rules of engagement and opened “a new phase” in operations against Israel, he added.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the rebels’ ”response to the Israeli aggression against our country is inevitably coming and will be huge”.

The strikes came a day after a Houthi drone struck the Israeli city of Tel Aviv.

Israel struck Yemen, Gaza and Lebanon in quick succession yesterday in an attack that has left the Middle East reeling.

The strike is a significant escalation by Israel, which has been engaged in fighting against Hamas in Gaza since October, and faces the threat of intensified conflict with the Lebanese Hezbollah group on its northern border.

This is despite the White House’s top foreign affairs advisor Jake Sullivan recently asserting that all parties were close to a ceasefire deal.

The Houthis have been disrupting shipping in the Red Sea in a campaign to put pressure on Israel to end its campaign in Gaza. In response, the US, UK, and allies have been conducting air strikes against the group.

Oil tanks burn at the port in Hodeidah, Yemen, yesterday. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

In a statement shortly after the operations, the Israeli Defence Forces confirmed it had launched the attack in response to the ongoing attacks by the Houthi rebel groups. 

Deadly strikes in Gaza also took place and came hours after Hezbollah and its ally Hamas said they fired at Israeli positions from south Lebanon. 

Residents said a major operation was underway in Rafah in the south of Gaza, reporting heavy artillery and clashes.

The trio of militant groups has vowed to keep up attacks on Israel until a truce ends the violence in Gaza, which lies in ruins, with most residents forced to flee their homes.

With reporting by Steven Fox and © AFP 2024

If you want to read more about Yemen and the recent civil war there, check our The Journal’s Knowledge Bank here.