The Israeli aggression on Hodeidah: dozens of casualties, the Houthis vow to respond, and Egypt calls for calm

On Saturday, Israeli occupation fighter jets launched a series of air strikes, using 20 Israeli fighter jets, targeting oil facilities in the port of Hodeidah in western Yemen. The raids were carried out with F-16 aircraft, in conjunction with F-15 aircraft as a primary bomber, and F-35 aircraft to infiltrate and open the road, according to the Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom.

According to Houthi media, the raids of the Israeli aggression on Hodeidah resulted in the deaths of four people and more than 80 wounded, according to an initial toll.

The Israeli raids focused on four main and sensitive targets in the field of energy, in addition to sites used for military purposes, which are the port of Hodeidah, the Ras Al Kutheeb electrical station, the military police building, and the military economic institution, which are vital institutions in the port of Hodeidah.

Most of the raids targeted oil storage facilities in the port of Hodeidah and the unloading dock, causing huge fires to break out, because the raids targeted filling oil tanks that were imported from abroad and contained large quantities of oil derivatives.

Other raids targeted the Ras Al-Khadheeb electrical station, which is used to generate most of the city's electrical energy needs, leading to a power outage in large areas of Hodeidah. Other raids focused on the buildings of the Political Security and Military Police north of Hodeidah, and also targeted buildings belonging to the Military Economic Corporation.

Israel claims the attacks

Israeli occupation army spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a press conference on Saturday that the occupation army carried out raids on Houthi sites in the port of Hodeidah in Yemen, adding that "Israel is ready on all fronts and there is no change in the instructions for the home front." He claimed that the attack on Hodeidah port came because it was "a port for transferring weapons from Iran to the Houthis."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel attacked a port used to enter weapons from Iran, adding that "the attack on the Yemeni port reminds our enemies that there is no place that Israel cannot reach." He stressed that "the Houthis, like Hezbollah and Hamas, are an integral part of the Iranian axis of evil," as he described it.

This is the first aggression of its kind against Yemen, after an Israeli was killed and eight others were injured as a result of a drone explosion in the city of Tel Aviv, on Thursday night - Friday, in an attack claimed by the Houthi group, for the first time on a target deep within the occupying state.

The Houthis vow to respond

For its part, the Houthi group said that it would not hesitate to attack “vital targets.” The Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said, “They are preparing for a long battle with Israel.” The group’s spokesman, Muhammad Abdel Salam, said in a post on the X platform, that “the brutal Israeli aggression “The attack on Yemen, which targeted civilian facilities, including oil tanks (in the port of Hodeidah) and the electricity station in Hodeidah, came with the aim of doubling people’s suffering and putting pressure on Yemen to stop supporting Gaza.”

For its part, the Financial Times quoted a military official as saying that Israel struck dual-use targets in the port, including energy infrastructure.

The Wall Street Journal also quoted an Israeli military official as saying that they changed their policy in response to the raid in which the Houthis killed an Israeli civilian, indicating that Saturday’s attack is a message of deterrence to the Houthis and to everyone monitoring the region. The Israeli military official confirmed that they had informed their allies in advance of the strike.

Reactions: Egypt calls for calm and an end to the Gaza war

In the first regional reaction, a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said that Cairo is following with great concern “Israeli military operations in Yemeni territories,” and called for restraint, calm, and an end to the war on the Gaza Strip.

Egypt stressed "the importance of uniting international efforts in order to maintain the security and stability of the region," warning of what it had previously indicated of "the dangers of expanding the scope of conflict in the region following developments in the Gaza Strip crisis, which will push the entire region into a vicious circle of conflicts and instability."

Egypt called on "all parties to exercise restraint and calm, and avoid sliding into regional chaos," calling on "all actors at the regional and international levels to assume their responsibilities in order to end the Israeli war in Gaza as it is the main reason for the rise in tension and the current regional escalation."

Egypt reaffirmed its “firm position calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and allowing humanitarian aid to enter the Strip without any obstacles, in light of the fact that this is the main and necessary step to contain tension, and the basic foundation for establishing a comprehensive truce in the region, and preserving security and stability.” "Regional."

For its part, Hamas condemned "the Israeli aggression against the sovereignty of the Republic of Yemen and the targeting of oil and civilian facilities." It held the occupation and the American administration fully responsible for the escalation taking place in the region by continuing to provide the occupation with political cover and open military support to commit crimes and violations of all international laws.

Source: Yemen Shabab Net + Agencies