Israel Targets Houthis in Yemen Strikes

Smoke rises from the site of Israeli air strikes in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, Yemen, on Sept. 29, 2024. Stringer/Reuters

Israel announced on Sept. 29 that its military conducted strikes hitting Houthi targets in Yemen—in retaliation for a recent Houthi strike on Israel.

The targets in the port city of Hodeida included a seaport and power plants utilized by the Iran-backed Houthis to transfer oil, Iranian weapons, and military supplies to the area, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

The Houthis launched a ballistic missile on Sept. 28 targeting Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv, which Israel intercepted.

The attack was conducted as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned from the United States, where he addressed the United Nations General Assembly.

The Houthis also targeted the airport on Sept. 15, but the weapons were intercepted by Israel.

“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,” posted the IDF on X, announcing the strike on Houthi targets.

“The IDF is determined to continue operating at any distance—near or far—against all threats to the citizens of the State of Israel.”

The Houthis were designated by the Trump administration as a foreign terrorist organization in 2021, however, the Biden administration removed the designation shortly after taking office. Three years later, in January, the Biden administration designated the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group.

The IDF strikes followed strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon that included taking out the terrorist group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Israel launched strikes on Sept. 29 in southern Lebanon that hit two buildings and killed at least 24 people and injured 29 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. An IDF strike in northern Lebanon killed 21 people and injured at least 47 others, according to the ministry.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.