Israel strikes Houthi-held port of Hodeida in response to drone and rocket fire

The Israeli Air Force carried out strikes Tuesday against military infrastructure at the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida in western Yemen, in response to the Iran-backed group’s repeated attacks on Israel.

The rebel Al-Masirah television reported “a series of raids by Israeli enemy aircraft on the port of Hodeida,” while military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group’s air defenses were “currently confronting Israeli enemy aircraft launching an aggression against our country.”

An hour and a half before the attack, the Israel Defense Forces warned it would strike Hodeida Port.

The port is used by the Houthis to smuggle weapons from Iran to Yemen, which are then used in attacks on Israel and its allies, the military said.

Israel has struck the Hodeida Port multiple times in response to Houthi attacks.

Shortly after Tuesday’s strike, a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis in Yemen at Israel was intercepted by air defenses, the military said.

#عاجل ‼️ انذار عاجل إلى كل المتواجدين في ميناء الحديدة في اليمن

⭕️سيهاجم جيش الدفاع في الساعات القريبة في المنطقة المحددة بالخريطة في ضوء الأنشطة العسكرية التي يمارسها نظام الحوثي الارهابي هناك

⭕️من أجل سلامتكم، ندعو كافة المتواجدين في ميناء الحديدة والسفن الراسية فيه إلى… pic.twitter.com/6SM7uKPRxy

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) September 16, 2025

There were no immediate reports of impacts or injuries. Sirens had sounded in central Israel, the Jerusalem area, and in several West Bank settlements.

Between the previous strike against the Houthis on Wednesday and Tuesday’s operation, the group launched two ballistic missiles and two drones at Israel, the last one on Sunday, all of which were intercepted, according to the IDF.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that the strike on Hodeida Port was aimed at continuing “the naval and aerial blockade on the Houthi terror organization.”

“The Houthi terror organization will continue to take blows and will pay painful prices for any attempt to attack the State of Israel,” he added.

The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, death to Israel, [and] a curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas massacre.

The Houthis briefly held their fire when a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas in January 2025. By that point, they had fired over 40 ballistic missiles and dozens of attack drones and cruise missiles at Israel, including one that killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July 2024, prompting Israel’s first strike in Yemen.

Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 85 ballistic missiles and at least 37 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.

In response, Israel has attacked in Yemen, located some 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) away, 18 times.

AFP contributed to this report.