Israel Strikes Houthi Targets in Yemen, Killing at Least Four People

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)
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Israel Strikes Houthi Targets in Yemen, Killing at Least Four People

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 said it bombed Houthi targets in Yemen on Sunday in response to missile fire by the Iran-aligned militants at Israel over the past two days, marking another front in fighting in the Middle East.

The Israeli strikes killed at least four people and wounded 29, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said in a statement, and residents said the bombing had caused power outages in most parts of the port city of Hodeidah.

Israel's military said in a statement that dozens of aircraft, including fighter jets, had attacked power plants and a sea port in Hodeidah and the port of Ras Issa.

It was the second such Israeli attack on Yemen in just over two months. In July, Israeli warplanes struck Houthi military targets near Hodeidah after a Yemeni drone hit Tel Aviv and killed one man.

"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 military statement said.

Yemen's Houthi militants, backed by Iran, have repeatedly fired missiles and drones at Israel 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 had intercepted. Israel intercepted another Houthi missile on Friday.

In a post on X, Mohammed Abdulsalam, a spokesperson for the Houthis, said Sunday's Israeli strikes would not cause the group to "abandon Gaza and Lebanon".

Iran condemned the Israeli strikes, saying they had targeted civilian infrastructure, and President Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel should not be allowed to attack countries in the Iran-aligned "Axis of Resistance" one after the other.

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.



Lebanese Minister: Diplomatic Efforts for Ceasefire with Israel Underway

People check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburbs, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
People check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburbs, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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Lebanese Minister: Diplomatic Efforts for Ceasefire with Israel Underway

People check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburbs, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
People check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburbs, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Lebanon's Information Minister Ziad Makary said during a cabinet session on Sunday that diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire with Israel were underway.
"It is certain that the Lebanese government wants a ceasefire, and everyone knows that (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu went to New York based on the premise of a ceasefire, but the decision was made to assassinate Nasrallah," Makary said.
The death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was confirmed on Saturday, heightening tensions between Lebanon and Israel after months of conflict along their shared border, said Reuters.
"Diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire are ongoing. The Prime Minister is not falling short, but the matter is not that easy," he added.