From the Liveblog of
Sunday, July 21, 2024
WATCH: IDF releases footage of strike on Houthi-controlled Hodeida port in Yemen
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israeli Air Force releases footage showing yesterday’s airstrike against the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida in western Yemen, which came following a deadly drone attack on Tel Aviv carried out by the Iran-backed group.
The video shows missiles launched by IAF fighter jets striking four large container cranes at the port, used to unload shipments.
The IAF also releases footage showing fighter jets being refueled amid the operation, dubbed Outstretched Arm, as well as the arrival of some of the aircraft back in Israel following the strike.
The strike, carried out by dozens of Israeli aircraft, targeted fuel depots and energy infrastructure at the port, in addition to the cranes.
The strike on the fuel depot is a major blow to the Houthi economy, and the cranes being taken out of service prevents the group from bringing in more Iranian weapons via the port that have been used to target Israel, along with commercial and military ships in the Red Sea.
Saturday’s strike on Hodeida Port used more force than the IAF needed, aimed at sending a message of deterrence as well as causing financial damage to the Iran-backed group and impeding its ability to import weapons.
Strikes carried out by an American-led coalition in Yemen have only targeted Houthi military infrastructure and not sites that are also used by civilians, such as the Hodeida Port which is also used to bring in humanitarian aid to the war-torn country.
The IAF believes that the strike would project a message to Israel’s enemies, especially Lebanon’s Hezbollah, that Israel is able and willing to target dual-use civilian-military infrastructure and carry out what could be considered disproportionate responses to attacks.
Meanwhile, the IAF is on high alert for reprisal in response to the airstrike. The IAF has assessed that not only the Houthis will ramp up attacks following the strike in Yemen, but so will other Iran-backed groups in the region, including those in Syria, Iraq, and the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon.
Following Friday’s Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv, which killed Yevgeny Ferder, 50, the IAF assessed that the Iran-backed group in Yemen would continue to carry out attacks on Israel, regardless of an Israeli response.
The Houthis have launched more than 220 missiles and drones at the country in the past nine months. Israel, until Friday’s deadly attack in Tel Aviv, chose not to respond to those attacks.
Israel’s air defenses are not “hermetic,” officials say, warning that there will likely be more successful drone attacks on the country though the IAF is doing as much as possible to prevent them.
The IAF also says it was unfazed by the fact that social media clips showed the Israeli fighter jets, refueler tankers, and spy planes heading toward Yemen in the afternoon hours, which may have given the Houthis an early warning.
The IAF saw the social media footage, as well as the fact that the strike was carried out in daylight, as a form of deterrence, which may also impact Israel’s other enemies.
