Israel urges evacuation of Yemen ports after strikes target Houthi strongholds
The warning comes after a series of ballistic missile and drone launches by Yemen's Houthis toward Israel in recent days and "due to the use of seaports by this Islamist group for its terrorist activities," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has issued an evacuation warning for the ports of Ras Isa, Hodeida, and Salif, located on Yemen's western coast, in areas under Houthi rebel control. According to a message posted on the social network X by IDF spokesman Colonel Avichay Adraee, this is a precautionary measure against possible airstrikes
The warning comes after a series of ballistic missile and drone launches by the Houthis toward Israeli territory in recent days. These attacks came after the Israeli Air Force bombed the Houthi-controlled Sanaa airport and other facilities linked to the rebel group last week.
Israeli Colonel Adraee justified the warning by stating that "due to the Houthi regime's use of the ports for its terrorist activities, we urge everyone present to evacuate and stay away from them for their own safety until further notice."
On Friday, the Israeli military intercepted a missile fired from Yemen that triggered air raid sirens in Tel Aviv and several cities in central Israel, the military said in a statement.
The attack comes after US President Donald Trump announced a truce with the Houthis, which, according to the Israeli press, took the Israeli government by surprise.
The agreement refers only to attacks by the Yemeni group, an ally of the Iranian regime, on ships in the Red Sea, and the Houthis themselves have warned that they will not stop attacking Israel until the war in Gaza ends. However, last Tuesday, the Houthi rebels promised a "swift" response to Israel, but made no mention of the ceasefire agreement with the United States announced by Oman.
Houthi political leader Mahdi Mohamed Hussein al-Mashat vowed a "scintillating, painful and beyond what the Israeli enemy can bear" response and warned that bombing "will continue," in a statement issued after Israel targeted rebel-held infrastructure in response to an insurgent missile attack on Tel Aviv airport.
The United States and Yemen's Houthi rebels have reached a ceasefire agreement, mediator Oman said Tuesday, after President Donald Trump announced a halt to airstrikes against the insurgents.
The Houthis, along with the terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah, are part of what Iran presents as the "axis of resistance" against Israel. However, Tehran denies providing military aid to the Houthis. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz accused Iran of being "directly responsible" for the rebel attacks against his country
Although almost all Houthi missiles have been intercepted by Israeli air defenses for more than a year, last Sunday a missile directly hit the perimeter of Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv.
Yemeni rebels claimed responsibility for "firing a hypersonic ballistic missile at Ben-Gurion," which caused a brief disruption to air traffic and a temporary suspension of international flights.
Iran denied collaborating with the Houthis in the attack. Its Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, accused Israel of trying to drag the United States into a "catastrophe" in the Middle East.