Israel conducts airstrike on Yemen port
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Satellite photo of the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, Yemen on May 06, 2018. Photo: Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2018/Gallo Images/Getty Images
The Israeli Air Force conducted an airstrike on the port of Hodeidah in Yemen on Sunday, two Israeli officials told Axios.
Why it matters: The Israeli officials said the strike was in retaliation for at least two attacks the Houthis launched against Tel Aviv over the past two weeks using long-range ballistic missiles.
- The Houthis had threatened to retaliate for Israel's strike on Hodeidah, Yemen's fourth-largest city, in July.
- Sunday's attack was the second Israeli strike ever in Yemen and comes as Israel engages in war on several fronts, from Gaza to Lebanon to Yemen.
Driving the news: The Israeli strike on the Red Sea port city was conducted in the early evening local time.
- An Israeli official said oil facilities in the port and "sensitive" Houthi facilities in the area were among the targets. Israeli and U.S. officials said Israel notified U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) ahead of the strike.
- Houthi spokesperson Nasruddin Amer said the Israeli attack failed because the Houthis had removed oil from the tankers in the port in advance. He said the Houthis will continue to support Gaza and would respond to the Israeli attack.
- The health ministry in Yemen said four people were killed and 29 wounded in the Israeli strike.
What they're saying: Dozens of Israeli air force aircraft attacked Houthi military targets, including power plants and a seaport used to import oil, the IDF said in a statement confirming the strike.
- The IDF said the infrastructure was used by the Houthis to transfer Iranian weapons to the region and supplies for military needs.
- "The attack was carried out in response to the latest attacks carried out by the Houthi regime against the State of Israel."
The big picture: The strike in Yemen took place as Israel continued attacking Hezbollah targets in Beirut and Lebanon's Beqaa Valley on Sunday, Israeli officials said.
- U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the military to further reinforce U.S. defensive air-support capabilities in the Middle East in the coming days, the Pentagon said on Sunday.
- The Pentagon said Austin has also "increased the readiness of additional U.S. forces to deploy, elevating our preparedness to respond to various contingencies."
- Austin directed the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN Carrier Strike Group to remain in the USCENTCOM's operating area and the USS Wasp Amphibious Ready Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG/MEU) will continue to operate in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, the Pentagon said.
Austin stressed that the U.S. "is determined to prevent Iran and Iranian-backed partners and proxies from exploiting the situation or expanding the conflict."
- "Should Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every necessary measure to defend our people," Austin said according to a statement by Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details.
