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Israel Targets Houthi Ports of Hodeidah and Ras Isa With More Airstrikes

An IAF F-16 fighter assigned to Friday's mission (Courtesy IAF)
An IAF F-16 fighter assigned to Friday's mission (Courtesy IAF)

Published Jan 10, 2025 3:41 PM by The Maritime Executive


On Friday, the Israeli Air Force carried out another round of retaliatory strikes against Houthi targets in western Yemen, including sites at the dual-use ports of Hodeidah and Ras Isa. An IDF source confirmed to the Jerusalem Post that U.S. and British forces were involved in the strikes, but that allied planes were assigned different targets than Israeli aircraft. 

Houthi forces have repeatedly launched missiles and drones against Israel in protest of the ongoing Israeli operation in Gaza. In return, the IAF has made several bombing runs over Hodeidah and the western Yemeni coastline, where Houthi forces stage their missile assets. The U.S. military has also repeatedly struck Houthi missile, drone and command post sites within Yemen, including a large-scale operation earlier this week. 

The targets of Friday's raid included the Hizaz power station, also known as Hezyaz Central Generating Station - a fuel oil-run powerplant located at the south end of the Houthi capital of Sana'a. In a statement, the IAF described it as "a central source of energy for the Houthi terrorist regime in its military activities."

Israeli F-16 fighters also hit the ports of Hodeidah and Ras Isa at locations "containing Houthi military infrastructure." Yemeni outlet Al-Masirah said that Hodeidah was hit six times and that areas of Ras Isa were on fire. Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, said that the strikes left Hodeidah - Yemen's primary gateway for food imports - in a "paralyzed" state. 

The IDF said that it would continue to carry out strikes against the Iran-backed Houthi regime, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that more punitive actions could follow. "As we promised, the Houthis are paying, and they will continue to pay, a heavy price for their aggression against us," Netanyahu said. "The Houthis are a proxy of Iran and they serve the terrorist objectives of the Iranian axis in the Middle East."