Ports in Flames, Sirens In The Night: A Hidden Conflict Reignites

Israel has launched a fresh wave of airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, targeting three key ports and a power plant.

The strikes, which marked the first Israeli attacks on Yemeni territory in nearly a month, have further inflamed tensions in a region already teetering on the edge due to multiple ongoing conflicts.

According to the Israeli military, the air raids late Sunday hit the strategic Red Sea ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa, and as-Salif, as well as the Ras Kathib power plant.

Another target included a radar system on the Galaxy Leader, a commercial vessel seized by the Houthis last year and currently docked in Hodeidah.

No casualties were immediately reported.

The strikes followed Israel’s interception of a missile allegedly launched from Yemen earlier in the day.

Hours after the airstrikes, the Houthi rebels retaliated by firing two more missiles toward Israeli territory.

Warning sirens were triggered across Jerusalem, Hebron, and areas near the Dead Sea.

Despite the alerts, Israel’s emergency services reported no injuries or damages from the attempted attacks.

The Houthis, an Iran-aligned group that controls large swathes of northern Yemen, have ramped up hostilities against Israel since the onset of the Gaza war in late 2023.

Framing their military campaign as an act of solidarity with Palestinians, the group has launched hundreds of missiles at Israel.

It has also carried out over 100 attacks on commercial ships navigating the Red Sea, a vital maritime route for global trade.

After briefly halting their attacks during a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in January, the Houthis resumed their operations in March.

This re-escalation came in the wake of U.S.-led airstrikes on Yemeni soil, which reportedly killed nearly 300 people in the following weeks.

In response to Sunday night’s attacks, Houthi media and officials sought to minimize the scale of the damage.

The group’s mouthpiece, Al Masirah TV, confirmed airstrikes on Hodeidah, while the state-run Saba news agency acknowledged hits on all three ports and the nearby power facility.

Ameen Hayyan Yemeni, a spokesperson for the Houthis, claimed the group’s air defenses were effective in pushing back Israeli warplanes.

Using locally produced surface-to-air missiles, he said the rebels managed to create “significant confusion” among Israeli pilots and disrupted command operations.

“Our defenses forced a large portion of enemy jets to retreat,” he asserted in a post on social media platform X.

Reporting from Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, Al Jazeera’s Nabil Alyousefi echoed the narrative that Houthi forces successfully repelled the Israeli assault.

According to him, clashes between Houthi air defenses and Israeli aircraft lasted approximately 30 minutes, though the Houthis reported no human or material losses.

The confrontation occurred shortly after another maritime security incident in the Red Sea.

A cargo vessel caught fire following a grenade and drone attack, prompting the crew to abandon ship.

No group claimed responsibility, but the UK’s maritime agency said the nature of the assault resembled previous Houthi operations.

Meanwhile, Israeli military operations extended beyond Yemen.

On the same day, Israel carried out strikes on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.

The military claimed the targets included facilities for rocket launches and strategic weapons production, although no independent verification was provided.

Since the formal end of a year-long ceasefire with Hezbollah on November 27, Israel has conducted repeated cross-border raids into Lebanon, citing security concerns and alleged violations by the militant group.

These latest developments add to Israel’s increasingly expansive military campaign.

In the past year, it has extended beyond Gaza to include operations in the occupied West Bank, Syria, Iran, and now once again, Yemen.

As the region watches closely for a potential ceasefire in Gaza and possible nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran, the flare-up in Yemen threatens to further destabilize the already volatile Middle East.

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