The Israeli Air Force carried out strikes this week on three ports in Yemen and targeted the Galaxy Leader, a cargo ship seized by the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist organization in November 2023, the IDF announced.
The wave of strikes comes amid ongoing negotiations over a hostage deal in Gaza and ahead of a scheduled meeting this week between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump at the White House.
In its statement, the IDF said the targeted ports - Hudaydah, Ras Issa and As Salif - had been used by the Houthis to "transfer weapons from the ayatollah regime in Iran." The Galaxy Leader's crew had been held hostage from the time of the ship's hijacking in November 2023 until January 2025, when they were released under a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas earlier this year.
"The Houthis installed a radar system on the ship and used it to track vessels in the international maritime arena in order to facilitate further acts of terrorism," the IDF Spokesperson said. In addition to the ports, the Israeli military also struck Ras Kantib power station and other Houthi military targets.
Following the strikes, a Houthi spokesperson claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that the group had "successfully repelled" the attacks.
Senior Houthi figure Hazem al-Asad responded to the Israeli operation, stating, "Our position is principled. No matter how long the Zionist enemy continues its aggression against our country and its attacks on vital service infrastructure, our people will only become more determined to continue supporting Gaza until the aggression ends and the blockade is broken."
The strikes on Yemen occurred in the wake of a fragile ceasefire deal between Iran and Israel following Operation With the Might of a Lion, a 12-day military campaign between the two countries. Israel and Hamas are currently engaged in negotiations over a new ceasefire and hostage agreement that would temporarily halt military operations in Gaza and lead to the release of some of the 20 hostages still believed to be alive and held by the terrorist group.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to meet with President Trump at the White House at a sensitive moment, as Israel faces pressure on multiple fronts, continuing talks over the hostages, heightened tensions with Iran and its regional allies, and growing threats throughout the region.
The Houthis, who receive military and logistical support from Iran, have continued threatening international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Their actions have triggered not only Israeli responses but also military operations by US and British forces in the region.
The IDF said the overnight operation, dubbed Operation Black Flag, involved approximately 20 fighter jets dropping more than 50 munitions on Houthi terrorist infrastructure, including the Galaxy Leader, the targeted ports, and the Ras Kantib power station.
