Israeli army launches air raids on Yemen’s Ras Isa and Hodeidah

Attacks on western Yemen come a day after Houthis say they fired a missile at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.

The Israeli military says it has launched air raids on Houthi targets in Yemen, heightening fears of a wider regional conflagration in the wake of Israeli attacks on Gaza and Lebanon.

In a statement on Sunday, the military said of dozens of aircraft, including fighter jets, attacked power plants and sea port facilities at the Ras Issa and Hodeidah ports. The air raids caused power outages in most parts of Hodeidah, according to residents.

The attack came a day after the Houthis said they fired a ballistic missile at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv in Israel.

The group has repeatedly launched attacks at Israel and on Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait since November of last year, in what it describes as a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians under Israeli attacks in Gaza .

“Over the past year, the Houthis have been operating under the direction and funding of Iran, and in cooperation with Iraqi militias in order to attack the State of Israel, undermine regional stability, and disrupt global freedom of navigation,” the Israeli military statement added.

Israel previously hit the Hodeidah port in July after a Houthi drone strike penetrated Israel’s air defences and killed a civilian in Tel Aviv.

Earlier this month, the Houthis, who control most on northern Yemen, reached central Israel with what they described as a hypersonic missile. The attack caused fires, triggering air raid sirens, sending residents running for shelter in the area around Ben Gurion airport.

Iran has condemned Sunday’s strikes by Israel on Yemen’s Hodeidah port, saying they targeted a power plant and fuel tanks, the country’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani, said in a statement.

Hussain Al Bukhaiti, journalist and political analyst told Al Jazeera from the capital of Yemen Sanaa, that firefighters are trying to put the fire out in the regions attacked. He added that there are reports that one person has been killed and there are several casualties.

“I believe the main goal of the Israelis is to put pressure on the people. Hodeidah port is important to the economy of Yemen….and to the people of Yemen…I believe they will continue targeting civilian infrastructure,” he said.

Moreover, the air raids on Sunday came as Israel continues to launch deadly attacks across Lebanon, forcing the displacement of up to one million people.

On Saturday, the Houthis mourned the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli attack on a densely populated civilian area of southern Beirut the previous day. The group also demanded that Israel halt its assault on Lebanon.