Israel’s authorities carried out its first seaborne attack against Houthi rebels, hitting docks in the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah. The Israeli navy also warned that further strikes may be forthcoming. In addition to allegedly being used for weapons smuggling as vessels evade UN inspectors, the strike is likely to have destroyed infrastructure that is essential to relief supplies to the war-torn, famished country.

Although the US and Israel had previously attacked ports in the region, including one in April that claimed 74 lives, Israel is currently acting alone in targeting the rebels since they are still firing missiles at Israel because of Israel’s assault on Hamas in Gaza.

What role does Hodeidah port play in relief efforts?

Hodeidah, located on the Red Sea 90 miles southwest of Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, was the target of the Israeli raid early on Tuesday. The Houthis did not provide an early damage assessment, and their satellite news outlet, al-Masirah, did not immediately broadcast any videos.

According to the Israeli military, the strike was carried out by missile boats. To carry out those strikes, the Israeli military must employ aerial refuelling because Hodeidah lies more than 1,180 miles south of Israel’s southern coast.

How has Israel’s military strategy shifted in Yemen?

Since the war was started by Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel’s navy, which consists of approximately 9,000 sailors, has been mostly stationed in the Mediterranean Sea.

Israel has previously attacked Sana’a International Airport, destroying every aircraft operated by Yemenia, the country’s official airline.

Since the Houthis took control of Sana’a in 2014, Hodeidah has served as the primary entry point for millions of Yemenis seeking food and other humanitarian goods. In 2018, a Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s exiled government contemplated attempting to reclaim Hodeidah by force but changed their minds as concerns over the port’s destruction and international condemnation mounted.

It seems that not all ships entering Hodeidah are being caught by such checks anymore. According to a study by UN specialists last year, there was a tip that ships were arriving in the Hodeidah region to offload large amounts of military supplies. It is also thought that the Houthis bring weaponry in by way of the Gulf of Aden, an overland route.

Although UN officials, Western countries, and analysts have connected weaponry in the rebels’ armoury to Tehran, Iran denies actively aiding the Houthis.

According to the group’s leadership, the Houthis have been attacking military and commercial ships in the area with missiles and drones in an attempt to halt Israel’s onslaught in Gaza. The Houthis used drones and missiles to target around 100 commercial boats between November 2023 and January 2025, sinking two of them and killing four sailors. As a result, the Red Sea corridor, which normally handles £740 billion worth of products each year, has seen a significant decline in commerce. Before the US started a massive offensive against the rebels in mid-March, the Houthis halted their attacks in a self-imposed truce.