Houthi-linked news sources reported that the strikes on Saturday resulted in three deaths and over 80 injuries. Houthi official Mohammed Abdulsalam condemned the strikes as "brutal Israel aggression against Yemen."
On Sunday morning, the Israeli military intercepted a missile from Yemen before it entered Israeli airspace, activating air sirens in the Red Sea port of Eilat due to the risk of falling debris.
Abdulsalam claimed that the Israeli strikes aimed to pressure the Houthis to cease supporting Palestinians in Gaza, an effort he said would be futile. This marks the first direct Israeli response to what it claims have been hundreds of Yemeni drone and missile attacks in recent months.
Footage from Hodeidah revealed large fires on Saturday evening. The Houthi-run government in Sanaa reported that the strikes targeted oil storage facilities and a nearby power plant.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) conducted extensive strikes on Houthi military targets in Hodeidah, more than 1,800 kilometers away from Israel. The operation, codenamed Outstretched Arm, was in response to continuous Houthi aerial attacks over the past nine months.
Defence Minister Gallant emphasized that the strikes were a retaliation for Houthi attacks that harmed Israelis. "The Houthis attacked us over 200 times. The first time that they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do this in any place where it may be required," he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed Israel's right to self-defense, stating that anyone who harms Israel will face severe consequences. He highlighted that the port was a point of entry for Iranian weapons and demonstrated Israel's ability to reach any adversary.
The drone attack on Friday hit a block of flats in Tel Aviv, killing a 50-year-old man from Belarus and injuring eight others. The Israeli military noted the drone was an Iranian-made UAV, modified for long-distance flight. Due to "human error," the defense forces did not intercept the drone.
The Houthi Supreme Political Council indicated that there would be an "effective response" to the Israeli airstrikes. While this was Israel's first strike against the Houthis in Yemen, the US and UK have been conducting air strikes against the group to prevent attacks on commercial shipping in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
Initially, the Houthis targeted ships linked to Israel but have since expanded their attacks to vessels associated with the UK and US.