Israel Launches Strikes on Yemeni Houthi Targets

Flames and smoke rise from the site of Israeli air strikes at the port of Hodeidah, Yemen July 21, 2024. (Reuters)
Flames and smoke rise from the site of Israeli air strikes at the port of Hodeidah, Yemen July 21, 2024. (Reuters)
TT

Israel Launches Strikes on Yemeni Houthi Targets

Flames and smoke rise from the site of Israeli air strikes at the port of Hodeidah, Yemen July 21, 2024. (Reuters)
Flames and smoke rise from the site of Israeli air strikes at the port of Hodeidah, Yemen July 21, 2024. (Reuters)

Israel launched strikes at Houthi targets in Yemen on Sunday after the Houthi militias fired missiles at Israel over the past two days, marking a fresh exchange in another front of the regional conflict.

The Israeli military said in a statement that dozens of aircraft, including fighter jets, attacked power plants and a seaport at the Ras Issa and Hodeidah ports.

The strikes caused power outages in most parts of the port city of Hodeidah, residents said.

"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 statement said.

The Iran-backed Houthi have fired missiles and drones at Israel repeatedly in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians, since the Gaza war began with a Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

In their latest attack, the Houthis said they had launched a ballistic missile on Saturday towards the Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, which Israel said it intercepted. Israel also intercepted another Houthi missile on Friday.

The Houthi movement earlier mourned Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, its ally in an Iran-backed alliance opposing Israel, following his death in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.



Israel Used US-made Bomb in Attack on Hezbollah Head, US Senator Says

 A man stands on the rubble of buildings near the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP)
A man stands on the rubble of buildings near the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP)
TT

Israel Used US-made Bomb in Attack on Hezbollah Head, US Senator Says

 A man stands on the rubble of buildings near the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP)
A man stands on the rubble of buildings near the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP)

The bomb that Israel used to kill Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last week was an American-made guided weapon, a US senator said on Sunday.

Mark Kelly, chair of the Senate Armed Services Airland Subcommittee, said Israel used a 2,000-lb (900-kg) Mark 84 series bomb, during an interview with NBC. His statement marks the first US indication of what weapon had been used.

"We see more use of guided munitions, JDAMs, and we continue to provide those weapons," Kelly said, using an abbreviation that stands for Joint Direct Attack Munitions.

"That 2,000-pound bomb that was used, that's a Mark 84 series bomb, to take out Nasrallah," he said.

The Israeli military said on Saturday it had eliminated Nasrallah in a strike on the group's central command headquarters in Beirut's southern suburbs. The Israeli military has declined to comment on what weapons were used in the attack. The Pentagon was not immediately available for comment.

JDAMs convert a standard unguided bomb using fins and a GPS guidance system into a guided weapon. The US is Israel's longtime ally and biggest arms supplier.