Yemen's Hodeidah port comes under Israeli attack on Sunday
The IDF launched extensive airstrikes Sunday on targets in Yemen, Lebanon, Gaza and Syria, including the Lebanese capital Beirut. The strikes reportedly targeted sites in Homs, western Syria and areas near Damascus.
Senior officials told Ynet that the strike on Yemen came in response to Houthi missile fire on Tel Aviv on Saturday. The attack was also aimed at deterring Iran from retaliating for the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Israeli officials said the strikes were intended to send a clear message to Iran, with the IDF showing it can engage on multiple fronts. Air Force jets flew 1,800 kilometers (1,120 miles) to strike Hodeidah, a distance comparable to that from Israel to Iran.
"The strike on Yemen aims to exact a heavy price for their attacks," an Israeli official said. "If the Houthis continue targeting Israel, our strikes will intensify."
Iran has vowed to avenge the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran last July in an attack attributed to Israel.
The IDF said in a statement that dozens of Israeli Air Force planes, including fighter jets, mid-air refueling aircraft and reconnaissance planes, struck military targets belonging to the Houthi forces in the Ras Issa and Hodeidah areas of Yemen. The targets included power plants and a seaport used to import oil, which the Houthis used to transfer Iranian weapons. The military added that the damage to Houthi infrastructure would take time to repair.
"The IDF is determined to continue operating at any distance—near or far—against all threats to Israeli citizens," the statement concluded.
IDF strikes Beirut's Dahieh on Sunday
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The message to Iran: "We can strike with force over long distances." – Khamenei
(Photo: KHAMENEI.IR / AFP)
The military also confirmed targeted strikes on Hezbollah officials in Beirut’s Dahieh neighborhood, including a senior commander from Unit 1600, responsible for producing rocket and missile materials and trafficking the addictive stimulant Captagon.
In Gaza, the IDF said it targeted a Hamas command center operating from a school. The military stressed it had taken precautions to avoid civilian casualties.
Meanwhile, Syrian state media reported that air defenses were activated in response to Israeli strikes near Damascus, following earlier strikes on Homs.