Heavy Airstrikes Against Houthi-Controlled Port of Hodeidah; Israel Responded to Drone Attack on Tel Aviv

Houthi militants announced that Israel targeted oil refinery facilities in the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah with heavy airstrikes on Saturday, July 30. In this regard, 'The Times of Israel' reported that the airstrike on Yemen was confirmed by Yoav Gallant, Israel's Minister of Defense, in response to Houthi attacks on the country. The strike on Hodeidah came a day after a drone attack by the Iranian-backed group on Tel Aviv, which resulted in the death of one Israeli civilian and injuries to ten others. Following this drone attack, Yoav Gallant stated that revenge would be taken against those seeking to harm Israel. Furthermore, Israel called for 'crippling sanctions' against the Islamic Republic in response to the Houthi drone attack. After meeting with senior military officials, including Herzi Halevi, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, he warned that the army is in the process of immediately strengthening all of the country's defense systems and would take revenge on anyone attempting to harm Israel or conduct terrorist operations against it. Subsequently, Israeli officials told 'Ynet' that a response would be made to the Houthi attack, which was carried out using an Iranian drone. They indicated that a direct Israeli attack on Yemen is 'on the table.' Earlier, Al-Arabiya TV reported, citing unnamed sources, that Saturday's attack was jointly conducted by Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom, targeting a fuel tank and oil refinery facilities in Hodeidah. According to the Houthis, these attacks resulted in casualties. Al-Arabiya reported that 12 Israeli fighter jets, including F-35s, participated in this attack. Additionally, Israeli officials announced the name of the victim of the Houthi drone attack: 50-year-old Yevgeny Prader. However, the Israeli news website 'Walla News' reported, citing a source, that Israel conducted the attacks against the Houthi-controlled Hodeidah alone. Houthi TV 'Al-Masirah' released footage of extensive fires at the oil facilities as a result of Saturday's airstrikes. Hours before the attack on Hodeidah, the Israeli army announced that Hezbollah fired about 45 rockets into northern Israel on Saturday. According to the statement, Hezbollah fired about 30 rockets toward the Golan Heights at 3:35 PM. The Israeli army added that some of the rockets were intercepted and destroyed, while the impact of others caused fires. Hezbollah, the main proxy arm of the Islamic Republic, claimed responsibility for the rocket fire into northern Israel on Saturday afternoon. According to the Israeli army's statement, around 4 PM, another 15 rockets were fired at two areas in northern Israel. The rocket attacks on Saturday did not result in any casualties. Following the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and led to the abduction of over 250 others, including children, women, and the elderly, Israel launched an offensive against Gaza aimed at destroying this Iranian-backed group and freeing the kidnapped hostages. After this attack, other Iranian proxy groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, began attacking Israel and U.S. positions in the region. In recent months, the Houthis have carried out multiple drone and missile attacks against commercial vessels in the region, while the U.S. and its allies have formed an international coalition targeting the positions of this Iranian-backed group with heavy attacks. The Israeli army reported that '150 terrorists' were killed in Gaza over the past week. The U.S. State Department stated that the U.S. consulate in Tel Aviv was not damaged in the Houthi attacks. A drone attack targeted a residential building near the U.S. consulate in Tel Aviv, resulting in one death and several injuries.