On Saturday, airstrikes targeted Hodeida, a Yemeni city controlled by Houthi rebels, who have accused Israel of being behind the bombings. “The Israeli enemy’s raids on oil storage facilities in the port of Hodeida” caused deaths and injuries, the Houthi Health Ministry said in a statement published by rebel-run media, without giving a precise toll. The Jewish state confirmed shortly afterward that it was behind the attacks on “military targets.”
Loud explosions were heard in the port city in war-torn western Yemen, where the Houthis control much of the country, an AFP correspondent at the scene said. The attacks came a day after a drone strike claimed by the Houthis killed one person in Tel Aviv.
Claiming to be in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza caught up in the war between Israel and Hamas, the Houthis have been carrying out attacks on merchant ships since November, describing them as linked to Israel. Attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, key seas for global trade, have driven up insurance costs, prompting many shipping companies to sail around the southern tip of Africa, a much longer route.
In December, Israel’s ally the United States established a multinational force to protect shipping in this strategic area and since January, with London’s help, has launched numerous attacks against the Houthis in Yemen.
