Israel bombed this Saturday to the port city of Hodeida, located in Yemenusing aircraft. The incident occurred just one day following A deadly drone attack in Tel Aviv claimed by Houthi rebels.
The Lebanese movement Hezbollah said that the attacks on its Yemeni allies provoke a dangerous turn in the tense situation in the Middle East, more than nine months following the start of the war in Gaza.
The group released a statement: “The foolish step given by the Zionist enemy announces a new and dangerous phase of a confrontation very important in the entire region.”
For months, the Houthis have been carrying out attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden once morest ships -linked according to them to Israel- in solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza.
Israel’s statement on retaliation
The Israeli army had also issued a statement following the bombing of the war-torn country controlled by insurgents, supported by Iran and allies of the Palestinian Islamist movement, Hamas: “Israeli army fighter jets recently struck military targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the region of the port of Hodeida, Yemen.in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out once morest the State of Israel by these rebels in recent months.
In addition, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahuassured that they will defend themselves ”by all means, on all fronts”following the attack. In contrast, The Houthis said Israel “will pay for attacking civilian facilities, and we will respond to escalation with escalation.”
benjamin netanyahu.jpg
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
REUTERS
Mohamed al-Bukhaitia member of the politburo of the rebels, who control Hodeida (west), declared that Israel struck “fuel storage facilities and a power plant” in the aforementioned city of the Asian country. And he assured that these attacks are aimed at “pressure Yemen to stop supporting” to the Palestinians.
The bombing left dead and woundedalthough without specification of numbers from the Ministry of Health, which is run by the rebels.
Like the ministry, the television network Al Masirah The US-controlled US government also released images of Yemenis allegedly being treated in hospitals following the attacks, several of them bandaged and lying on stretchers. One man interviewed by them described many of the wounded as port employees, where the images show The attacks caused a huge fire that spread and generated an impressive column of black smoke.
The port of Hodeida is a key entry point for fuel and goods into rebel-held areassaid Mohamed Albasha, a Middle East analyst for the US-based Navanti Group.
The attack in Tel Aviv
Israel’s retaliation comes following what was an attack on Friday using dronesby the Houthis. By circumventing the air defense of the Jewish state, it ended up leaving one civilian dead in a residential building in the coastal city of Tel Aviv.
The Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallanthad threatened the perpetrators of the attack: “The blood of Israeli citizens has a price.” “This was clearly demonstrated in Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen and elsewhere: if they dare to attack us, the result will be the same.”he added.
The army, although they are investigating the security breach, stated that in the attack ”a drone capable of traveling long distances was used.”
The Yemeni rebels, who last week warned that they “would not hesitate to extend their military operations (…) until the aggression ceases” in Gaza, and threatened to making Tel Aviv a “prime target” for future attacks.
