Yemen’s Houthis promise ‘massive’ response to Israel’s attack on Hodeidah

Yemen’s Houthi rebels vowed “massive” retaliation against Israel on Sunday after a deadly attack on the port of Hodeidah, as violence sparked by the Gaza war swept the region.

In response to attacks by Iranian-backed militant groups, Israel bombed the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Yemen in rapid succession this week.

Despite Washington’s assurances that an agreement to end Israel’s nine-month war against Gaza is close to being concluded, the Israeli military said it had intercepted a rocket fired from Yemen during its offensive in the besieged Gaza Strip.

According to the Civil Defense Authority, dozens of people have been killed across the Gaza Strip since Saturday, including in attacks on homes in the central Nuseirat and Bureij areas and on displaced people near southern Khan Yunis.

Residents said a large-scale operation was underway in the Saudi district west of Rafah in the south and reported heavy artillery shelling and clashes.

The deadly attacks in Gaza came hours after Hezbollah and its ally Hamas said they had fired on Israeli positions from southern Lebanon. At the same time, Houthi rebels in Yemen said they would respond to an attack by Israeli warplanes on a key port.

On Sunday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the “rebel response to Israeli aggression against our country will come inevitably and will be massive.”

The fire left by the attacks on the rebel-held port of Hodeidah “is visible throughout the Middle East and its significance is clear,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Saturday.

The Houthis control large parts of Yemen, including large parts of the Red Sea coast, while the internationally recognized government has retreated to Aden on the southern coast.

Gallant detailed the first attacks in Yemen, which Israel claimed responsibility for, and warned of further operations if the Houthis “dare to attack us” after a rebel drone strike killed a man in Tel Aviv on Friday.

In a statement carried by Houthi media, the Health Ministry said that “six people were killed, three are still missing and 83 others were injured” in the attacks on the port.

Firefighters struggled to contain the massive blaze caused by the attack on Hodeidah. A port official said fuel tanks and a power plant were still burning on Sunday.

Following the attacks, the Israeli military said on Sunday that it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen at the Red Sea resort of Eilat. Saree said the rebels had fired ballistic missiles at the port city.

The three militant groups have vowed to continue their attacks on Israel until a ceasefire ends the violence in Gaza. The Gaza Strip is in ruins and most residents have been forced to flee their homes.

The Gaza war was triggered by the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, in which 1,195 people, mostly civilians, were killed. AFP Count based on Israeli figures.

The militants also captured 251 hostages, 116 of whom are still in Gaza. According to the Israeli military, 42 of them are dead.

According to the Health Ministry, at least 38,983 people were killed in Israel’s military retaliation to wipe out Hamas in the Gaza Strip, again mostly civilians.

The war has also led to famine and health crises in Gaza, with Israel and the United Nations blaming each other for the failure of vital aid to reach those in need.

Following the discovery of poliovirus in Gaza’s sewage, albeit without isolated cases, the World Health Organization said there were “monumental” limitations on a timely response.

WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said on Friday that the agency believes that many more diseases are “spreading uncontrollably” within the Gaza Strip.

The months-long war has also brought Israelis onto the streets, sometimes in their tens of thousands, to demand the release of the remaining hostages.

“Bring them home,” protester Ofira Azrieli appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

The prime minister is scheduled to speak to US lawmakers in Washington on Wednesday, where he will be under pressure to reach a ceasefire with Hamas.

His office said he would meet with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday.