20 July 2024 Israeli attack on Yemen | |
---|---|
Part of the Red Sea crisis and the Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present) | |
Type | Airstrike |
Location | |
Target | one power plant, fuel storage belonging to Yemen Petroleum Corporation, container crane |
Date | 20 July 2024 |
Executed by | Israel Defense Forces |
Casualties | 14 killed (including 12 employees of Yemen Petroleum Corporation), 90+ injured, 6 missing [1] |
On 20 July 2024, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched an attack on Hudaydah Port in Al Hudaydah, Yemen. The attack damaged a power generating station, an oil refinery, fuel storage facilities belonging to the Yemen Petroleum Corporation (YPC), and port cranes. [2] [3] Israel claimed it targeted weapon storage facilities. 14 people were killed, including 12 port employees and more than 90 were injured, many with severe burns. [1]
The attack was codenamed by the IDF as Operation Outstretched Arm (Hebrew : מבצע יד ארוכה). [4] The day before the attack, a Houthi unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed into an apartment building in Tel Aviv, Israel, killing one civilian. The Houthis have been attacking Israel in response to the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians at the time. [5] Houthi officials condemned the Israeli bombing of Al Hudaydah, promised retaliation, and said they will not stop until what they called "the genocide in Gaza" is stopped. [6]
The operation marks the first time Israel directly attacked Yemen. [7] It used F-15 and F-35I jet fighters, along with Boeing 707 jets for aerial refueling. [8] Commentators have noted the significance of the operation, emphasizing that it involved targets 1,700 kilometers from Israel, approximately 200 kilometers farther than Tehran, showcasing the extended reach of Israeli military operations. [9]
The Houthis have long called for the destruction of Israel but did not take direct action against it until Hamas's October 7 attacks which initiated the Israel–Hamas war. [10] Since the war began, the Iran-backed Houthi forces have launched drone and missile attacks toward Israel, though most were intercepted, causing minimal damage. The Houthis stated these attacks are in retaliation for Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip and vowed to continue until the "Israeli aggression stops." [10] More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's invasion of Gaza, including thousands of women and children. [11] [5]
Houthi attacks on international shipping vessels in the Red Sea were deemed by some as international piracy, [12] [13] drawing a military response from a number of countries. In January 2024, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2722, condemning the Houthi attacks and affirming freedom of navigation. [14] The United States-led Operation Prosperity Guardian was launched to protect Red Sea shipping. Since 12 January, the US and UK have led coalition air and missile strikes against the Houthis, while other countries are independently patrolling the waters near Yemen. [15]
The Houthi movement, officially "Ansar Allah", is Islamist group in Yemen that follows the Shiite Zaydi faith. [10] The movement has been fueled by decades of discrimination against the Shi'ites in Yemen and took power in 2014. [10] In response, it was attacked by Saudi Arabia and its allies, in a war that killed 150,000 people. [10] They were designated a terrorist organization by the United States, [16] [17] Saudi Arabia, [18] United Arab Emirates, [19] Malaysia, [20] and Australia. [21] [22] The group has called for the destruction of Israel. [10] The movement, whose militants oppose Yemen's internationally recognized government, has controlled a considerable swath of the country's territory along the Red Sea since 2014.
On 19 July, a drone launched by Houthi militants from Yemen hit an apartment building near the US Embassy branch office in Tel Aviv, Israel's economic center. The drone strike killed one person in his apartment building, and injured 10 others. [23] [24] The drone is suspected by the IDF to have been an Iranian-made Samad-3 modified by the Houthis to carry more fuel (for a longer range) in exchange for a smaller warhead. [25] According to Israel, the drone was spotted but not intercepted and no air raid siren was sounded due to human error. [25] The Houthis countered, claiming that their drone, which they named "Yafa", was able to overcome the Iron Dome defense by being invisible to radar. Their claim was challenged by Fabian Hinz, a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. [24] The Houthis also described the attack on Tel Aviv as the beginning of the fifth phase of their conflict with Israel. [26]
Israel's Defense Ministry stated that the operational plans for the strikes on Yemen were reviewed and approved on 20 July morning, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and other top defense officials overseeing the discussions. [27] The Israeli cabinet convened for a special emergency meeting, with ministers summoned on short notice, to approve the operation. The cabinet meeting, chaired by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi, was conducted under strict censorship. [27]
The Israeli attack commenced at 6pm local time. [28] The attacks hit a refinery, [29] electricity power station, fuel storage facilities, cranes, and equipment belonging to humanitarian aid agencies. [2] (Hudaydah port has been used to supply humanitarian aid to Yemen [30] ). Nine port employees of the Yemen Petroleum Company were killed, and 87 people were injured, most of them with severe burns. [2] [7] Witnesses (about 2 miles from the bombed areas) reported about 12 separate blasts in two barrages, and said the Israeli attack was so intense it reminded them of the Saudi bombing of the city in 2015. [28]
The Israeli attacks specifically targeted an electricity generation station, according to local Yemeni channel Al-Masirah TV (run by the Houthis). [31] Other expert also confirmed attacks on the power station. [30] [28] Residents confirmed widespread power outages. [32] A Middle East expert at Navanti Group said power shortages will increase suffering of the local population. [28]
A fire described as "huge" was created after Israel bombed a refinery and fuel storage depots at the port, [29] belonging to the Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC). It was estimated the fuel storage contained more than 100,000 litres (26,400 gallons) of fuel. Some of the fuel was owned by YPC, while the rest was owned by independent Yemeni businesses. [33] The Houthis, who form the government in Hudaydah, have also been known to make money off fuel sales in Yemen.
Israel also hit cranes at the harbor. The World Food Programme reported damage to a crane its aid vessel was using. [2] There were other merchant vessels adjacent to the cranes the IDF struck, and its not clear the extent of their damage. [2] The warzone reported that Hudaydah port had just two heavy dockside cranes, and both were severely damaged by Israel. Their loss will considerably slow down humanitarian shipments into Yemen. [34] Israel, however, claims these cranes were used to unload Iranian weapons and published footage of destroying the cranes. [35]
American and Israeli officials claimed that Israel only targeted Houthi military sites in the area of the port, used for weapon storage. [36] [27] According to these officials, Israel attacked the Hudaydah Port because it is used for transfers of weapons from Iran, [9] and facilitates export and import of goods. [37]
Images and videos posted on social media have shown flames and smoke rising in the city. [38] [39] Fires continued to burn, with smoke lingering, for several days after the attack. [40]
The airstrike involved complex logistical and tactical measures due to the significant distance of 1,700 kilometers from Israel. The operation used aerial refueling with Boeing 707 "Re'em" aircraft, low-altitude flights to evade enemy radar, and possibly coordination with Saudi Arabia. [9] The airstrikes mark the first time Israel has attacked Yemen. [7] The IDF's task force included aerial intelligence and surveillance by the "Nachshon" squadron, naval support from warships and possibly a submarine in the Red Sea, and the use of "stand-off" munitions from a range of 100 kilometers. The primary strike force comprised F-35I "Adir" and F-15 fighters. [9]
The Israeli government awaited the return of the aircraft before confirming responsibility for the operation.
Saudi Arabian outlet Al Arabiya said the bombing was a joint operation between Israel, the US and the UK. [29] US officials denied involvement. The Guardian noted that US forces had bombed Hudaydah as recently as June 2024. [29]
Israeli news outlet Ynet News reported that Israel likely coordinated the attack with Saudi authorities, given the proximity of Saudi airspace to the likely route Israeli jets took to reach Yemen. [41]
Firefighting teams arrived immediately to the port, but struggled to contain the blaze. The fire had expanded and threatened both humanitarian ships and food storage facilities. [42] Meanwhile, Yemeni port authorities kept other parts of the port facilities functional to receive ships carrying food, medicine and fuel. [42] Yemeni human rights group, Mwatana, reported that some additional casualties may be buried under the rubble and could not be reached due to the fires. [43]
Repairs on the power plant damaged by Israel were started, as authorities tried to bring back electricity to the Yemeni people. [2]
Two container ships docked at the port on 23 July, making them the first merchant vessels to use the port since the Israeli airstrikes. By 28 July, the port had become fully operational. [44]
The Yemen Red Sea Ports Corporation, which runs the Hudaydah Port, estimated that the strikes caused over US$20,000,000 in damages, excluding losses caused by the destruction of fuel storage facilities. Two cranes and a small vessel were destroyed, while damage was caused to nearby buildings and docks.
According to Ynet , the operation was meant as a deterrent to the pro-Iranian government in Sanaa and as a signal to the US-UK coalition that the IDF will no longer rely solely on allied air defense. [9]
According to The Washington Post , analysts from Yemen determined that the operation would likely not deter the Houthis, but would instead enable them to mobilize Yemenis to fight against a perceived foreign threat, consolidating their local support. [57]
The Economist wrote that with its strikes, "Israel was trying not only to deter the Houthis. It was also sending a message to Iran: Hodeidah, after all, is farther away from Israel than most of Iran’s big cities." [58]
The Jerusalem Post observed that the operation bore similarities to the 1985 Operation Wooden Leg, where the Israeli Air Force targeted PLO sites in Tunisia, 2,200 kilometers from Israel. It emphasized the role of the F-35s in the 2024 operation, noting their stealth capabilities were crucial for striking the Houthis, who already used anti-aircraft missile systems to shoot down American UAVs. The Post described the operation as "an important milestone" for the F-35s within the Israeli Air Force, marking eight years since their initial deployment in Israel. [59]
The Human Rights Watch called the strikes a possible war crime since they were apparently an "indiscriminate or disproportionate attack on civilians". [60] [61]
On the morning of 21 July, the IDF intercepted a missile fired from Yemen. Rocket and missile sirens sounded in Eilat, [62] however the IDF stated that the city was not targeted and denied reports of an explosion. [63] The Houthis stated that they had targeted Eilat with several missiles. [64]
On 29 September 2024, following the Houthi missile launch on Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv that came in retaliation to the 2024 Hezbollah headquarters strike, Israel launched another attack on Hodeidah port and power station, [65] killing at least 4 civilians. [66] Over 10 airstrikes struck the port, causing major explosions that reverberated throughout the city. The strikes reportedly targeted oil tanks at Ras Issa port and other facilities. [65] [67] According to the IDF the Houthi regime facilitates the transfer of Iranian weapons and supplies to the region, including oil, for military purposes. [68]
Al Hudaydah, also transliterated as Hodeda, Hodeida, Hudaida or Hodeidah, is the fourth-largest city in Yemen and its principal port on the Red Sea and it is the centre of Al Hudaydah Governorate. As of 2023, it has an estimated population of 735,000.
The Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict is an ongoing armed conflict between the Royal Saudi Armed Forces and Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi forces that has been taking place in the Arabian Peninsula, including the southern Saudi regions of Asir, Jizan, and Najran, and northern Yemeni governorates of Saada, Al Jawf, and Hajjah, since the onset of the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen in 2015.
The following is a timeline of the Yemeni civil war, which began in September 2014.
The siege of Al Hudaydah, codenamed Operation Golden Victory, was a major Saudi-led coalition assault on the port city of Al Hudaydah in Yemen. It was spearheaded by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and has been considered as the largest battle since the start of Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen in 2015.
The Hudaydah Port is a key Yemeni port on the Red Sea coast. It is the second largest port in the country, located in Al Hudaydah, the fourth largest city in Yemen. The port handles up to 80% of the humanitarian supplies, fuel and commercial goods in northern Yemen.
The Red Sea crisis began on 19 October 2023, when the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen launched missiles and armed drones at Israel, demanding an end to the invasion of the Gaza Strip. The Houthis have since seized and launched aerial attacks against dozens of merchant and naval vessels in the Red Sea, drawing hundreds of air strikes on missile sites and other targets by US and allied forces. The crisis is linked to the Israel–Hamas war, the Iran–Israel proxy conflict, the Iran–United States proxy conflict, and the Yemeni crisis.
Events of the year 2024 in Israel.
Events in the year 2024 in Yemen.
These are monthly timelines of the Red Sea crisis, which began on 19 October 2023.
Since 12 January 2024, the United States of America and the United Kingdom, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, have launched a series of cruise missile and airstrikes, codenamed Operation Poseidon Archer, against the Houthi movement in Yemen in response to Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis had previously declared that their attacks are in support of Palestinians during the Israel–Hamas war; Houthi attacks on shipping were condemned by the United Nations Security Council the day before the initial strike.
The Middle Eastern crisis is a series of interrelated conflicts and heightened instability in the Middle East which began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, after a period of rising tensions. Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas' Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said that the attack was made in response to the escalating Israeli violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel then began a destructive bombing campaign and invasion of the Gaza Strip. The war's spillover resulted in a major escalation of existing tensions between Israel and Iran. This has resulted in several proxy conflicts breaking out across the Middle East involving both sides, such as the Red Sea crisis, and the Israeli invasions of Lebanon and Syria.
On 30 May 2024, the United States and United Kingdom conducted a joint set of airstrikes in Sanaa and Hodeidah, Yemen, killing 16 people and injuring 42. The United States and United Kingdom claimed that the strikes were targeting members of the Houthi rebel group; however, the Houthis claimed all those killed or injured in the strikes were civilians.
Yemeni Houthi militants performed a drone attack on Israel on 19 July 2024, hitting an apartment building near the US Embassy branch office in Tel Aviv, Israel's economic center in Ben Yehuda Street. The drone strike killed one person in his apartment building, and injured 10 others. The drone was spotted but not intercepted due to what Israel attributed to human error, with the Houthis asserting that they had developed a drone with the ability to evade the Iron Dome. The air raid siren was also not activated.
On 29 September 2024, Israel launched attacks in Yemen against the ports of Al Hudaydah and Ras Isa, both located in the Houthi-controlled part of the country, using F-15I, F-35I Adir, and F-16I aircraft. Six people were killed and at least 57 were injured. Widespread power outages were caused in the city of Hodeida itself. The attacks caused significant damage to Yemeni port facilities and power generating stations.
In December 2024, Israel carried out several strikes against the Houthis, a Zaidi militia supported by Iran, in response to Houthi attacks on population centers in Israel. On the morning of 19 December 2024, Israel carried out several airstrikes in western Yemen in an operation dubbed Operation White City, and on 26 December the Israeli Air Force conducted another air strike dubbed as the Operation Sounds of Vineyard targeting Sanaa International Airport and the port of al-Hodeida. It was reported that the strikes were executed in cooperation with the U.S. and UK militaries.
The 26 December 2024 Israeli attack on Yemen, code-named Operation Tzelilei HaKerem were a series of Israeli Air Force strikes on areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthi Movement, most notably on Sanaa International Airport in the capital on 26 December 2024. According to Israel, the attacks were carried out in response to the firing of ballistic missiles and Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) toward Israel by the Houthi Movement. It took place as part of the Houthi involvement in the Israel–Hamas war and the December 2024 Israeli airstrikes in Yemen.
Many Houthi attacks on commercial vessels have not appeared discriminate or linked to stated demands. Since October 17, the Houthis have attacked commercial and naval vessels more than 60 times (Figure 1)