Israel bombs three ports and a power plant in Yemen

The Israeli army (IDF) has bombed three ports and a power plant in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, prompting the Houthis to fire more missiles into Israeli territory. The Israeli military said on Sunday (July 6) local time that it had struck the Red Sea ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and As-Salif, and the Ras Khatib power plant. It also targeted a radar system on the Galaxy Leader ship, which is captured by the Houthis and is still anchored in the port of Hodeidah. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the attack. It was Israel’s first strike on Yemen in a month. Earlier, the Israeli army had claimed to have intercepted a missile fired by the Houthis earlier in the day. The rebel group, which controls some of Yemen’s most populous areas, fired more missiles at Israel early Monday (July 7) local time in response to recent Israeli strikes. The Israeli military said two missiles were fired from Yemen and that it tried to intercept them. The attacks set off sirens in Jerusalem, Hebron and towns near the Dead Sea. Israel’s emergency services said there were no reports of casualties or damage from the missiles. The Houthis claim they are targeting Israel in solidarity with Palestinians injured and killed in Israeli strikes. The group has previously fired more than 100 missiles at Israel since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in 2023 and carried out more than 100 attacks on commercial vessels in the vital Red Sea shipping lanes. The Houthis temporarily suspended their attacks in January this year after a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. But they resumed their attacks after the US launched an airstrike in Yemen on March 15, killing nearly 300 people in the following weeks.