The Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday morning that it had struck a “terror infrastructure site” in the Saana area of Houthi-controlled Yemen.
“The IDF struck from a distance of 2,000 kilometers from Israel, deep inside Yemen, targeting an energy infrastructure site that served the Houthi terrorist regime,” the military announced, saying that the strike was in response to repeated missile and drone attacks against Israel by the Iranian-backed terrorist group.
According to media reports, the Israeli Navy carried out the strike, with explosions heard near a power plant in the capital. It would mark the second time that naval forces were used in an operation against the Iranian-backed terror group instead of the air force. Israeli Navy missile ships struck “terror targets” at the Houthi-controlled port of Hudaydah on June 10.
בישראל מאשרים: חיל הים תקף הבוקר בתימן - תחנת הכוח חזיז בצנעא נפגעה | "שלטון הטרור החות'י פועל בהכוונה של המשטר האיראני – נפעל בכל מרחב שיידרש"https://t.co/FgWaoBqehV pic.twitter.com/ZvVEd1oycg
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Later on Sunday, the Israeli Air Force intercepted a missile fired from Yemen that triggered air-raid sirens across central Israel, including in Tel Aviv. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed to extract a heavy toll from the Houthis for the attack.
“The Houthis will pay with interest for every attempt to fire at Israel,” he wrote on X. “We are imposing an air and sea blockade on them that hurts them greatly, and this morning we struck infrastructure and energy targets. This is just the beginning. What follows will be powerful and painful. Whoever raises a hand against Israel, their hand will be cut off.”
The Houthis have been launching missile and drone attacks on the Jewish state—including a direct missile hit near Ben-Gurion International Airport on May 4—since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, 2023.
“The Houthi terrorist regime operates under the direction and funding of the Iranian regime, in order to harm the State of Israel and its allies. The terrorist regime exploits the maritime domain to project force and carry out terror activity against global shipping and trade routes,” said the IDF.
“The IDF will operate against the ongoing and repeated attacks by the Houthi terrorist regime, and remains determined to continue removing any threat to the State of Israel, wherever required.”
