Israeli airstrikes on Yemeni port leave three dead, dozens injured

In Israeli airstrikes on the strategic port of Al-Hudaydah in Yemen, three people were killed, and nearly 90 were injured, the Houthi rebels reported on Sunday morning. A large fire broke out at the attacked port, and the attack caused power outages.

On Saturday, Israeli fighter jets bombed several targets in Yemen controlled by the rebels, including the port of Al-Hudaydah on the Red Sea.

According to Houthi-controlled media, the airstrikes were intense, a large fire broke out at the attacked port, and the attack caused power outages.

The airstrikes were in response to "hundreds of attacks against the State of Israel in recent months," the Israeli army said in a statement. Early Friday morning, a Houthi drone struck a residential building in Tel Aviv, killing one person and injuring 10 others.

Backed by Iran, the Houthis are one of the sides in the nearly 10-year civil war in Yemen. They control the western part of the country, home to half of its population. After the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip in the autumn of 2023, the Houthis began shelling ships passing through the Red Sea, declaring that the attacks were acts of solidarity with Hamas and targeting Israel and its trade exchange.

The attacks disrupted navigation on one of the world's most important maritime trade routes. In response, Houthi targets have been bombed by American and British forces since the beginning of the year.

Saudi media reported that the US and UK air forces also participated in Saturday's raid. The Israeli portal Walla later denied this information, stating that it was an exclusively Israeli operation. The attack was the first-ever Israeli airstrike on targets in Yemen, added the Times of Israel portal.