Photo by
Anthony Hershko/TPS-IL on 11 June, 2025
Israel Strikes Houthi Targets in Yemen
Jerusalem, 7 July, 2025 (TPS-IL) -- Israeli fighter jets carried out a wave of strikes overnight targeting Houthi military infrastructure at the Yemeni ports of Al Hudaydah, Ras Isa, Salif, and the Ras Kanatib power plant, the Israel Defense Forces said on Monday morning.
“These ports are routinely used to smuggle Iranian weapons to the Houthis,” the IDF said in a statement. “Those weapons are then used to launch attacks against Israel and its allies.” The military described the operation as a response to the Houthi regime’s repeated assaults on Israeli territory, including missile and UAV launches.
Among the targets was the Galaxy Leader, a commercial ship seized by the Houthis in November 2023. According to the IDF, the vessel was fitted with a radar system used to track international shipping, supporting maritime terrorist operations. The IDF also struck the Ras Kanatib power station, which it said was supplying electricity to military facilities, describing it as further evidence of the Houthis’ strategy of embedding military assets within civilian infrastructure.
The strikes were preceded by an evacuation warning issued in Arabic to civilians in the targeted areas. “The Houthi terrorist regime systematically uses civilian infrastructure for terror,” the IDF said, accusing the Iran-backed militia of weaponizing the maritime space and endangering commercial shipping and global trade routes.
The Houthis responded by firing two ballistic missile that triggered sirens in the Gush Etzion region south of Jerusalem and near the Dead Sea. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The IDF said attempts were made to intercept them but did not initially confirm if the missiles reached Israeli territory, saying the results were being reviewed.
Defense Minister Israel Katz tied the strikes directly to a Houthi missile fired at Israel last Tuesday, which triggered air raid sirens in Jerusalem, Ben Gurion Airport, Modiin, Rishon Lezion, and parts of Judea and Samaria. The missile was intercepted, and no injuries or damage were reported.
Following that incident, Katz warned that “Yemen will be treated like Tehran,” referencing Israeli airstrikes inside Iran during the recent 12-day escalation. On Monday morning, he reiterated his position: “Anyone who tries to harm Israel will be harmed. Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have it cut off.” He said the IDF was “forcefully” targeting Houthi military assets and promised that “the Houthis will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions.”
The IDF emphasized its readiness to act against threats “wherever required” and said it would continue operating decisively to defend Israeli civilians.
Since March 18, when Israel resumed its campaign against Hamas following a temporary ceasefire, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have launched more than 40 ballistic missiles and several drones at Israel. The majority were either intercepted or fell short of Israeli territory. Since Hamas’ October 7 attack, the terror group has launched more than 200 missiles and 170 drones.
From bases along the Yemeni coast, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have attacked or harassed more than 100 ships in the Red Sea as they traverse the Bab el-Mandeb Straits, a narrow maritime choke point between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa.
The majority of the world’s oil passes through the strait from the Indian Ocean towards the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea. Their attacks have brought the Port of Eilat to a standstill.
At least 1,180 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 50 remaining hostages, around 30 are believed to be dead.
