Israel launches air strikes on Yemen after Houthis strike airport

At least 20 Israeli fighter jets took part in the operation, dropping more than 50 munitions on dozens of targets in Hodeida.

Israeli jets targeted the Yemen port city of Hodeida in a series of strikes. Picture: X.

Israel’s military has targeted Houthi rebels in Yemen’s Red Sea port of Hodeida with a punishing round of air strikes, a day after the Iranian-backed rebels launched a missile that hit Israel’s main airport.

The rebels’ media office said at least six strikes hit the crucial Hodeida port Monday afternoon. Other strikes hit a cement factory in the Bajil district in Hodeida province, the rebels said.

The Israeli military said more than 20 Israeli fighter jets took part in the operation, dropping more than 50 munitions on dozens of targets.

Israeli airstrikes have begun in Hodeidah, Yemen.
Reports of about 30 fighter jets attacking 9 targets simultaneously.

The Yemenis are reporting dozens of loud explosions, so they are calling this a very significant attack.

The strikes paralyzed the port of Hudeidah. Our… pic.twitter.com/81H2l5mon5

— Cheryl E 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🎗️ (@CherylWroteIt) May 5, 2025

On Sunday, the Houthis launched a missile from Yemen that struck an access road near Israel's main airport, briefly halting flights and commuter traffic. Four people were lightly injured. It was the first time a missile struck the grounds of Israel’s airport since the start of the war.

The Houthis claimed that the strikes were a joint Israeli-American operation. However, a U.S. defence official said U.S. forces did not participate in the Israeli strikes on Yemen on Monday. The strikes were not part of Operation Rough Rider, which is the ongoing U.S. military operation against the Houthis in Yemen to prevent them from targeting ships in the Red Sea that started March 15. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Separately, the U.S. military launched multiple strikes Monday on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, another U.S. official said. That official also spoke on condition of anonymity, to discuss military operations.

The Houthi-run health ministry said at least 21 people were wounded in the Israeli strikes on the Bajil cement factory.

Nasruddin Amer, head of the Houthi media office, said the Israeli strikes won’t deter the rebels, vowing that they will respond to the attack.

“The aggressive Zionist-American raids on civilian facilities will not affect our military operations against the Zionist enemy entity,” he said in a social media post.

He said the Houthis will escalate their attacks and won’t stop targeting shipping routes and Israel until it stops the war in Gaza.

Israeli Air Force fighter jets prepare for takeoff for air strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, May 5, 2025. Picture: Israel Defence Forces.

The Houthis have targeted Israel throughout the war in solidarity with Palestinians, raising their profile at home and internationally as the last member of Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” capable of launching regular attacks on Israel. The U.S. military under Donald Trump has launched an intensified campaign of daily air strikes targeting the Houthis since March 15.

Houthi rebels have fired at Israel since the war with Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023. The missiles have mostly been intercepted, although some have penetrated Israel’s missile defence systems, causing damage. Israel has struck back against the rebels in Yemen.

The Israeli military said it targeted the Hodeida port on Monday because Houthi rebels were using it to receive weapons and military equipment from Iran. Rebel-held Hodeida, about 145 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of the capital of Sanaa, has been key for food shipments into Yemen as its decade-long war has gone on.

Israel has struck Yemen, and specifically the port city of Hodeida, multiple times before. Israel previously struck Hodeida and its oil infrastructure in July after a Houthi drone attack killed one person and wounded 10 in Tel Aviv. In September, Israel struck Hodeida again, killing at least four people after a rebel missile targeted Israel’s Ben Gurion airport as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was arriving back to the country. In December, Israeli strikes killed at least nine people in Hodeida. The Houthis have launched multiple missiles towards Israel in the past week.

The attack on Ben-Gurion International Airport on Sunday came hours before Israeli Cabinet ministers voted to expand the war in Gaza, including to seize the Gaza Strip and to stay in the Palestinian territory for an unspecified amount of time. While air traffic resumed after an hour, the attack could lead to cancellations of many airlines, which had recently resumed flights to Israel.

AP