UPDATE - Israel strikes Houthi targets at Yemen’s Al Hudaydah port

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Rania Abu Shamala and Betul Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Israeli military launched airstrikes Monday on Houthi targets at the Port of Al Hudaydah in western Yemen.

Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed that the strikes were launched to prevent “any attempt to rebuild terror infrastructure that was attacked previously."

“Yemen will be treated like Tehran. The Houthis will pay heavy prices for firing missiles at the State of Israel,” he said.

The Israeli army said it destroyed the military infrastructure of the Houthis in the port of Al Hudaydah, which Tel Aviv claims is being used for arms shipments from Iran and carrying out operations against Israel.

A military statement said the strikes targeted the engineering vehicles that were used to rebuild, in addition to fuel containers, naval vessels, and weapons.

The Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV confirmed the Israeli attacks, without providing any details about injuries or damage.

Monday’s attacks were the 12th wave of Israeli strikes on Yemen since the outbreak of the Gaza war on Oct. 7, 2023.

The Houthis have intensified missile and drone strikes on Israel since Israeli forces resumed attacks on the Gaza Strip in March after two months of a shaky ceasefire.

Since November 2023, the group has also targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where nearly 59,000 victims have been killed in an Israeli onslaught.