Houthis say launched missiles, drones on Israel in response to Yemeni port attack

Sanaa, July 7
Yemen's Houthi group launched hypersonic ballistic missiles and drones on Israeli targets on Monday before dawn, four hours after Israeli warplanes and battleships struck three Red Sea ports and a power station.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV that the group launched eleven missiles and drones, with missiles targeting Ben Gurion Airport, the Ashdod Port, a power station in Ashkelon, and eight drones targeting the Eilat Port.

Sarea claimed that "the missiles and drones successfully reached their targets, and that the interceptor systems failed to intercept them".

The Houthi spokesperson said the group is "fully prepared for a sustained and prolonged confrontation," reaffirming that its attacks against Israel would continue until the "war on Gaza stops and the blockade is lifted".

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said that the Houthis launched two missiles toward Israel early Monday, triggering sirens in Jerusalem, the Judean Desert, the Dead Sea area, and several settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service reported no injuries.

"Attempts were made to intercept the missiles, and the results of the interception are under review," said the Israeli military.

The retaliation attack came hours after Israeli fighter jets struck Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen, including the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa, and As Salif, and the Ras Qantib power station.

The strikes also targeted the Galaxy Leader Vessel, seized by the Houthis in November 2023. The IDF accused the Houthis of installing radar on the vessel to monitor ships in the Red Sea and claimed that the Houthis used those three civilian ports to smuggle Iranian missiles and drones that the Houthis fired against Israel.

Iran and the Houthis have repeatedly denied such allegations.

According to the IDF, about 20 jets fired more than 50 bombs and missiles in the operation.

Also on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei strongly condemned Israel's strikes on Yemen, describing them as "flagrant crimes" against Yemen's people and the Arab state's economic and public infrastructure, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israel has carried out several airstrikes on strategic targets in Yemen in recent months. The Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen, has been targeting Israeli cities and ships in the Red Sea since November 2023 to show solidarity with the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.