Israeli navy attacks Yemen's rebel-held port city of Hodeida for first time in the conflict

The Israeli navy attacked docks successful Yemen's rebel-held larboard metropolis of Hodeida connected Tuesday, apt damaging facilities that are cardinal to assistance shipments to the hungry, war-wracked nation.

The Israeli military said navy rocket ships conducted the strikes, the archetypal clip its forces person been progressive successful attacks against the Houthi rebels.

Tuesday's onslaught comes as the Houthis person repeatedly launched missiles and drones targeting Israel during its warfare connected Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Houthis announced the onslaught via their al-Masirah outer quality channel. They said the onslaught targeted docks there, without elaborating.

Late Monday, Israel issued online warnings to Yemenis to evacuate from Ras Isa, Hodeida and al-Salif ports implicit the Houthis' alleged usage of seaports for attacks.

“The larboard is utilized to transportation weapons and is simply a further illustration of the Houthi violent regime’s cynical exploitation of civilian infrastructure successful bid to beforehand violent activities,” the Israeli subject said successful a connection Tuesday.

Hodeida besides is the main introduction constituent for nutrient and different humanitarian assistance for millions of Yemenis since the warfare began erstwhile the Houthis seized Yemen's capital, Sanaa, successful 2014.

The Houthis person been launching persistent rocket and drone attacks against commercialized and subject ships successful the portion successful what the group's enactment has described arsenic an effort to extremity Israel's violative successful Gaza.

From November 2023 until January 2025, the Houthis targeted much than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking 2 of them and sidesplitting 4 sailors. That has greatly reduced the travel of commercialized done the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees $1 trillion of goods determination done it annually.

The Houthis paused attacks successful a self-imposed ceasefire until the U.S. launched a wide battle against the rebels successful mid-March. President Donald Trump paused those attacks conscionable earlier his travel to the Mideast, saying the rebels had "capitulated" to American demands.

Early Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wrote connected the societal level X that U.S. Navy ships had traveled done the Red Sea and its Bab el-Mandeb Strait "multiple times successful caller days" without facing Houthi attacks.

“These transits occurred without situation and show the occurrence of some Operation ROUGH RIDER and the President’s Peace Through Strength agenda,” Hegseth wrote up of facing Congress for the archetypal clip since sharing delicate subject details of America’s subject run against the Houthis successful a Signal chat.

It’s unclear however the Houthis volition respond present that an onslaught has travel from the sea, alternatively than the air, from the Israelis.

Meanwhile, a wider, decadelong warfare successful Yemen betwixt the Houthis and the country's exiled government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, remains successful a stalemate.