Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched strikes on the port city of Hodeidah in Yemen on Tuesday morning. The strikes were first reported by al-Masirah, a channel affiliated with the the Iranian-backed Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, and later confirmed by Israel.
The strikes targeted the Hodeidah port area along the Red Sea coast and in what appears to be a first, this time the strike was carried out by the Israeli navy's maritime vessels rather than from the air.
"The IDF attacked this morning using Israeli Navy missile ships, targets of the Houthi terrorist regime at the port of Hodeidah in Yemen. The attack was carried out in response to the aggression of the Houthi terrorist regime toward the State of Israel, in which surface-to-surface missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles were launched toward the country's territory and its citizens," the IDF said on X. "The attack was intended to deepen the damage to the military use made of the port, which was attacked by the IDF in the past year and continues to serve terrorist operations. The attacked port serves for the transfer of combat means and constitutes another example of the cynical use and exploitation by the Houthi terrorist regime of civilian infrastructure to advance terrorist operations."
This is the 10th strike by Israel on Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi enclave, which has been firing ballistic missiles and drones on Israel since the start of the Oct. 7 war with Hamas.
The statement further noted that the IDF had given the local population "numerous advance warnings," and noted that the Iranian-supported Shiite militia has been "operating aggressively" against Israel during the war "under Iranian direction and funding in order to harm the State of Israel and its allies, undermine regional order, and disrupt global freedom of navigation."
The strike follows an unusual statement issued on Monday by the IDF spokesperson in Arabic, calling for the evacuation of three Ansar Allah-controlled ports: Ras Issa, Salif, and Hodeidah. The spokesperson did not specify the purpose of the evacuation but warned, "Anyone who approaches the area puts their life at risk."
#عاجل تحذير لكل المتواجدين في الموانئ البحرية التي يسيطر عليها النظام الحوثي الإرهابي
⭕️ميناء رأس عيسى
⭕️ميناء الحديدة
⭕️ميناء الصليف🔴أمامكم تحذير هام وعاجل🔴
نظرًا لقيام النظام الحوثي الإرهابي باستخدام الموانئ البحرية لصالح أنشطته الإرهابية نحث جميع المتواجدين في هذه الموانئ… pic.twitter.com/8Yjo0HA4Dt
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) June 9, 2025
According to various estimates, the terrorists rake in some $3 million per day from the use of the Al-Hodeidah port, the main artery of their economy, through which the terrorist organization imports goods, food, and Iranian weapons.
Israeli Air Force planes attacked Al-Hodeidah port for the first time in July 2024 following a drone attack on Israel that killed one. The Israeli causing massive amounts of damage. It has since attacked Yemen multiple time because of the ongoing launch of missiles on Israel. In some of the strike, Israel destroyed the airport at the capital, Sana'a, as well as the national carrier's fleet.
