Jerusalem (AP) – Israel’s army bombed on Monday the Hutis rebels in the province of Al Hudayda, in Yemen, causing the death of at least one person and wounds to another 35. The attacks occurred one day after the Hutíes launched a missile that impacted the main airport of Israel.
The Hutíes press office reported that the port of Al Hudayda was the target of at least six attacks. Other bombs fell into a cement factory in the Bajil district, located 55 kilometers (34 miles) northeast of the city of Al Hudayda, according to the rebels. The magnitude of damage to the two facilities was not clear at the moment.
The Israeli army said that more than 20 of its combat aircraft participated in the operation, and bombed dozens of objectives.
Al Hudayda residents said they heard explosions in the port, and that there were flames and smoke rising over the area. Ambulance sirens were also heard throughout the city, they said.
“It was very strong,” said Ahmed Saleh, who lives near the port, on the explosions.
In low, fires and thick columns of smoke were seen on the cement factory, which the hutis said it was attacked by the United States and Israel. Ambulances arrived in the area, said resident Khalid Seif.
The Ministry of Health led by the Hutis said that at least one person died and another 35 were injured in the Israeli attack against the factory. He indicated that rescuers were still looking for missing people.
On Sunday, the Hutis launched a missile from Yemen that fell on an access road near Ben-Gurion International Airport, which briefly stopped flights and passenger traffic. Four people suffered minor injuries. It was the first time that a missile hit the land of the Israel airport since the beginning of the war.
The Hutis said the attacks were a joint operation between Israel and the United States. However, a United States defense official said that US forces did not participate in Monday’s Israeli attacks in Yemen. These attacks were not part of Operation Rough Rider, which is the current American military operation against the hutis in Yemen to prevent ships from attack in the Red Sea. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss delicate issues.
Separately, the United States Army launched multiple attacks on Monday against Saná, said another American official. That official also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.
Nasruddin Amer, head of the hutis press office, said that Israeli attacks will not deter the rebels, and promised that they will respond to the attack.
“The aggressive Zionist-American incursions against civil facilities will not affect our military operations against the Zionist enemy entity,” he said in a publication on social networks.
He affirmed that the hutis will intensify their attacks and will not stop attacking Israel until he stops the war in Gaza.
The hutis have attacked Israel throughout the war in Gaza in solidarity with the Palestinians. The United States Army has launched a daily bombing campaign against the hutis since March 15.
The Houthi rebels have shot Israel since the war with Gaza began on October 7, 2023. The missiles fired by the rebels have been intercepted mostly, although some have penetrated Israel’s defense systems and caused damage. Israel has counterated the rebels in Yemen.
The Israeli army said that he attacked the port of Al Hudayda because the Houthi rebels were using it to receive Iran’s military weapons and teams. The port, located about 145 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of the capital, Saná, has been key to food shipments to Yemen in the middle of a civil war that began 10 years ago.
Israel has attacked Yemen, and specifically the port city of Al Hudayda, on multiple occasions. Israel attacked the port and its oil infrastructure in July after an attack with Huti drones kill a person and hurt 10 in Tel Aviv. In September, Israel attacked Hudayda again, killing at least four people after the Hutis rebels launched a missile towards Ben Gurion airport while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to his country. In December, Israeli attacks killed at least nine people in Al Hudayda. The hutis have launched several missiles to Israel in the last week.
Sunday’s attack against Israeli airport occurred hours before the Israeli cabinet ministers approved expanding the war in Gaza, to include the taking of the Gaza Strip and remain in the Palestinian territory for an un specified time. Although air traffic resumed after an hour, the attack could lead to cancellations of many airlines, which had recently resumed flights to Israel.
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Magdy reported from Cairo. The Associated Press Tara Copp and Lolita Baldor journalists contributed from Washington.
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This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool.
