29 September 2024 Israeli attacks on Yemen

Last updated

29 September 2024 Israeli attacks on Yemen
Part of the Red Sea crisis and the spillover of the Israel–Hamas war
TypeAirstrikes
Locations
Ras Isa, Yemen
TargetPower plants, fuel facilities
Date29 September 2024
Executed byFlag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg  Israel Defense Forces
Casualties5 dead, 29+ injured

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. [1] Five people were killed [2] and at least 29 were injured. [3] Widespread power outages were caused in the city of Hodeida itself. [3] The attacks caused significant damage to Yemeni port facilities and power generating stations. [3]

Contents

The Israeli attacks were in response to missile fire from the Houthis directed at Israel. The Houthis said their missile attacks are part of a broader campaign to express solidarity with the people of Gaza and Lebanon. [4] [5] This was the second major Israeli retaliatory strike against the Houthis since Operation Outstretched Arm on 20 July 2024, which saw Israeli aircraft attacking the Al Hudaydah port.

Background

War in Yemen

The Houthi movement, officially "Ansar Allah", is Islamist group in Yemen that follows the Shiite Zaydi faith. [6] The movement has been fueled by decades of discrimination against the Shi'ites in Yemen and took power in 2014. [6] In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its allies, with American support, launched a war against the Houthis, and imposed a naval and air blockade. The resulting famine has killed an estimated 150,000 people. [6] They were designated a terrorist organization by the United States, [7] [8] Saudi Arabia, [9] United Arab Emirates, [10] Malaysia, [11] and Australia. [12] [13] The group has called for the destruction of Israel. [6] 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.

Spillover of the Israel–Hamas war

After the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel and subsequent Israeli invasion and bombardment of the Gaza Strip, the Houthis launched retaliatory attacks on Israel, promising to continue them until "Israeli aggression stops." [6] [14] [15]

Houthi attacks on international shipping vessels in the Red Sea were deemed by some as international piracy, [16] [17] 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. [18] 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. [19]

On 19 July a drone launched by Houthi militants from Yemen hit Tel Aviv, killing one person and injuring 10 others. [20] [21]

The next day, Israel attacked the Hodeidah port in Yemen, killing 14 people and injuring 90. Houthi officials condemned the Israeli attacks, and said they will not stop until what they called "the genocide in Gaza" is stopped. [22] Among those killed in the Israeli attacks were 12 employees of the Yemen Petroleum Corporation. [23] The attacks reportedly targeted a power station, [24] [25] and caused power outages for the local population. [26]

Attacks

The Israeli military said it used "dozens" of aircraft, including fighter jets, refuelers and spy planes, to make the attacks some 1,800 km from Israel. [27]

Targets

According to early reports the targets were fuel facilities, power stations and docks at the Ras Issa and Hodeidah ports. [5] The attacks killed one port worker and three electrical engineers. [4] Residents said the attacks power outages in most of Hodeidah. [5]

Israel acknowledged that the ports are used to import oil, but said they are also used to import weapons and the oil can be used for military purposes. [27]

Reactions

Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the airstrikes, labeling them "inhumane" and accusing the United States of backing Israeli attacks against civilian facilities. [4]

Israeli defence minister tweeted “Our message is clear, for us, no place is too far” in reference to the long distance traversed to conduct the attacks. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Hudaydah</span> City in Yemen

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.

Hodeida International Airport is an airport in Hodeida, Yemen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war</span> Saudi war against Houthis in Yemen launched in 2015

On 26 March 2015, Saudi Arabia, leading a coalition of nine countries from West Asia and North Africa, launched an intervention in Yemen at the request of Yemeni president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, who had been ousted from the capital, Sanaa, in September 2014 by Houthi insurgents during the Yemeni Civil War. Efforts by the United Nations to facilitate a power sharing arrangement under a new transitional government collapsed, leading to escalating conflict between government forces, Houthi rebels, and other armed groups, which culminated in Hadi fleeing to Saudi Arabia shortly before it began military operations in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict</span> Armed conflict between the Houthi movement in Yemen and Saudi Arabia

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 Battle of Port Midi refers to a battle during the Yemeni Civil War between the Saudi coalition-backed Hadi loyalists and the Houthi government. Although Hadi loyalists seized the port, the Houthi fighters along with the popular committees managed to conduct some attacks around Midi. The conflict also had spillovers in the rest of the Hajjah Governorate. On 26 January 2017, Hadi loyalists extended their control to Harad District in Hajjah Governorate.

The following is a timeline of the Yemeni civil war, which began in September 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Hudaydah offensive</span> Offensive of the Yemeni Civil War

Al Hudaydah offensive, also called Western Coast Offensive, describes the offensive launched in December 2017 by pro-government forces against the Houthis in Al Hudaydah Governorate as part of Yemen's 2015 civil war. As of December 2018, the pro-government forces have captured the towns of Al Khawkhah, Hays, At Tuhayta, and brokered a ceasefire in Al Hudaydah City. In November 2021, a coalition withdrawal led the Houthi forces to break the siege of Al Hudaydah and recapture At Tuhayta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Al Hudaydah</span> Battle of the Yemeni Civil War

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 2022 Abu Dhabi attack was an attack against three oil tanker trucks and an under construction airport extension infrastructure in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates conducted by the Houthi movement using drones and missiles. Although several missiles and drones were intercepted, 3 civilians were killed and 6 were injured by a drone attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudaydah Port</span> Port in Yemen

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Sea crisis</span> Houthi involvement in the Israel–Hamas war

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 missile strikes in Yemen</span> Military strikes conducted by the US and UK against Yemeni Houthis

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 2023 Israel–Hamas war; Houthi attacks on shipping were condemned by the United Nations Security Council the day before the initial strike.

Since the beginning of the Israel–Hamas war, which has mostly been confined to the Gaza Strip and Gaza Envelope, a number of armed clashes and standoffs have been reported in other parts of the Middle East, particularly involving Shia Islamist militias backed by Iran. There has been speculation that any escalation of these incidents, specifically between Israel and Hezbollah—an Iranian-backed Shia militia which is based in southern Lebanon and which is more powerful than the Lebanese Armed Forces —could bring the entire region into a full-scale military conflict.

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.

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. 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.

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.

References

  1. "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  2. "Israel attacks Lebanon live: Israel announces ground operation in Lebanon". Al Jazeera. 30 September 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "Israel strikes Houthi targets in Yemen, killing at least four people".
  4. 1 2 3 "Israeli army launches air raids on Yemen's Ras Isa and Hodeidah". Al Jazeera.
  5. 1 2 3 Burke, Jason; Beaumont, Peter; Christou, William (29 September 2024). "Israel strikes Houthi targets in Yemen as it continues to bomb Lebanon". The Guardian.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Jeffery, Jack (15 November 2023). "Yemen's Houthis have launched strikes at Israel during the war in Gaza. What threat do they pose?". AP News. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  7. Hansler, Jennifer (17 January 2024). "Biden administration re-designates Houthis as Specially Designated Global Terrorists". CNN. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  8. Crowley, Michael (17 January 2024). "U.S. to Return Houthis to Terrorism List". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  9. "Saudi Arabia designates Muslim Brotherhood terrorist group". Reuters. 7 March 2014. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  10. "مجلس الوزراء يعتمد قائمة التنظيمات الإرهابية. | Wam". Archived from the original on 17 November 2014.
  11. "List of Individuals, Entities and Other Groups and Undertakings Declared by the Minister of Home Affairs As Specified Entity Under Section 66B(1)" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs of Malaysia. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  12. "Listed terrorist organisations: Ansar Allah". Australia Government. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  13. Halpern, Sam (24 May 2024). "Australia officially designates Houthis as a terrorist organization". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  14. "Israeli military says it has struck several Houthi targets in Yemen in response to attacks". CTVNews. 20 July 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  15. "Yemen's Houthis to step up Red Sea strikes, use 'submarine weapons,' leader says".
  16. "Houthi Attacks on International Shipping". United States Department of State. Archived from the original on 22 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  17. Marks, Simon (3 July 2024). "Houthi Threat Triggers Surge in Pirate Attacks Off Somalia Coast" . Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  18. "Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea: Issues for Congress". Congressional Research Service. 12 March 2024. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024. 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)
  19. "US names campaign to target Houthis in Yemen "Operation Poseidon Archer"". CNN. Archived from the original on 22 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  20. Sobelman, Gabby; Boxerman, Aaron; Bergman, Ronen; Jakes, Lara; Mendell, Erin (19 July 2024). "Houthis Launch Deadly Drone Strike on Tel Aviv, Evading Israel's Defenses" . The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 20 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  21. Yosef, Eugenia; Hansler, Jennifer; Kourdi, Eyad; Magramo, Kathleen (19 July 2024). "Israel investigates security failures around deadly Tel Aviv drone strike". CNN. Archived from the original on 19 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  22. Motamedi, Maziar. "Everything to know about Israeli and Houthi attacks amid war on Gaza". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  23. "اليمن.. ارتفاع حصيلة قتلى الغارات الإسرائيلية إلى 14 قتيلا" [Yemen: Death toll from Israeli airstrikes rises to 14]. Sky News Arabia (in Arabic). 21 July 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  24. "Hodeidah attacks latest blow to Yemen's war-ravaged oil sector".
  25. "Israeli airstrikes hit Yemeni oil depot in al-Hudaydah". Mehr News Agency. 20 July 2024.
  26. "Israeli military airstrikes hit Houthi targets in Yemen in retaliation to attacks – CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 20 July 2024.
  27. 1 2 3 "Dozens of Israeli planes strike port, power plants in Yemen after Houthi missile attacks".