Israel strikes Yemen's Red Sea port of Hodeidah

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — An Israeli F-35 fighter jet takes off during a training exercise. (Israeli Defense Forces photo)

ADEN  -  Israel said it struck a military infrastructure site in its latest attack on Yemen's Houthi movement at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah on Tuesday.

The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, have attacked vessels in the Red Sea in what they describe as solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Tuesday's attack came hours after the Israeli military issued an evacuation order for the port and a few weeks after a major Israeli attack that killed Houthi officials in August.

Al Masirah TV, a station affiliated with the Houthis, said that 12 Israeli strikes targeted the port's docks. 

Two sources at the port told Reuters the strikes targeted three docks restored after previous Israeli hits. Residents in the area told Reuters the attack lasted about 10 minutes. 

"The Houthi terrorist organization will continue to suffer blows and will pay painful prices for any attempt to attack the State of Israel," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a post on X following the attack.

The Houthis have also in the past fired missiles towards Israel, most of which have been intercepted.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Telegram that the group's air defences had been able to force Israeli warplanes away, but provided no proof.   

The Israeli military's statement gave no details of the strike beyond saying they hit infrastructure. "The Hodeidah Port is used by the Houthi terrorist regime for the transfer of weapons supplied by the Iranian regime, in order to execute attacks against the State of Israel and its allies," it said.   

 (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari in Aden, Writing by Nayera Abdallah and Menna Alaa El-Din, Editing by Andrew Heavens and Kevin Liffey // REUTERS)