On 19 July 2024, Houthi militants in Yemen performed a drone attack on Israel, hitting an apartment building near the U.S. Embassy branch office in Tel Aviv, Israel's economic center in Ben Yehuda Street. The drone strike killed one person in his apartment building, and injured 10 others. The drone was spotted but not intercepted due to what Israel attributed to human error, with the Houthis asserting that they had developed a drone with the ability to evade the Iron Dome. The air raid siren was also not activated.
The attack is reportedly the first successful one by the Houthis to hit its target, with previous attempts being intercepted by either Israeli defenses or Western allies located in the region.
The following day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded with an attack on Hudaydah Port in Al Hudaydah, Yemen. The attack damaged a power generating station, an oil refinery, fuel storage facilities belonging to the Yemen Petroleum Corporation (YPC), and port cranes. Israel claimed it targeted weapon storage facilities. 14 people were killed, including 12 port employees and more than 90 were injured, many with severe burns.
The attack was codenamed by the IDF as Operation Outstretched Arm (Hebrew: מבצע יד ארוכה). Houthi officials condemned the Israeli bombing of Al Hudaydah, promised retaliation, and said that this would "increase our determination to stop the genocide in Gaza".
The operation marks the first time Israel directly attacked Yemen. It used F-15 and F-35I jet fighters, along with Boeing 707 jets for aerial refueling. Commentators have noted the significance of the operation, emphasizing that it involved targets 1,700 kilometers from Israel, approximately 200 kilometers farther than Tehran, showcasing the extended reach of Israeli military operations.
Background
War in Yemen
The Houthi movement, officially "Ansar Allah", is Islamist group in Yemen that follows the Shiite Zaydi faith. The movement has been fueled by decades of discrimination against the Shi'ites in Yemen and took power in 2014. In response, it was attacked by Saudi Arabia and its allies, in a war that killed 150,000 people. They were designated a terrorist organization by the United States, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and Australia. The group has called for the destruction of Israel. The movement, whose militants oppose Yemen's internationally recognized government, has controlled a considerable swath of the country's territory along the Red Sea since 2014.
Houthi attacks on Israel
The Houthis have long called for the destruction of Israel but did not take direct action against it until Hamas's October 7 attacks which initiated the Gaza war. Since the war began, the Iran-backed Houthi forces have launched drone and missile attacks toward Israel, though most were intercepted, causing minimal damage. The Houthis stated these attacks are in retaliation for Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip and vowed to continue until the "Israeli aggression stops."
On 19 October 2023, Houthis fired a barrage of rockets and drones into Israeli territory that were intercepted by USS Carney. Israel's Arrow missile defense system saw its first use in combat on 31 October, intercepting Houthi weapons. Subsequently, the Houthis intensified their attacks on ships in the Red Sea that they considered associated with Israel or its foreign allies, disrupting one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. These attacks were deemed by some as international piracy, drawing a military response from a number of countries. In December 2023, the United States and several Western allies launched operations in the Red Sea to thwart attacks on ships originating from Yemeni territory and to ensure the security of shipping routes. Despite these efforts, the campaign largely fell short of its goals. In January 2024, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2722, condemning the Houthi attacks and affirming freedom of navigation. Since 12 January 2024, the US and UK have led coalition air and missile strikes against the Houthis, while other countries are independently patrolling the waters near Yemen.
Events
19 July drone attack on Tel Aviv
On 19 July, a drone launched by Houthi militants from Yemen hit an apartment building near the US Embassy branch office in Tel Aviv, Israel's economic center. The drone strike killed one person in his apartment building, and injured 10 others. The drone is suspected by the IDF to have been an Iranian-made Samad-3 modified by the Houthis to carry more fuel (for a longer range) in exchange for a smaller warhead. According to Israel, the drone was spotted but not intercepted and no air raid siren was sounded due to human error.
The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, stated that the aircraft was a new drone type, named "Yafa" or "Jaffa" that was able to fly "undetected through Israel's extensive air defence systems." Their claim was challenged by Fabian Hinz, a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. The Houthis also described the attack on Tel Aviv as the beginning of the fifth phase of their conflict with Israel.
According to The Associated Press news agency, this was the Houthis' first successful strike on Israel with the others being "intercepted by either Israeli defenses or Western allies with forces stationed in the region." Likewise, According to Ibrahim al-Marashi, associate professor at California State University, the Houthi attack marked both a technical and symbolic victory in that it marked the first time the group had entered Israeli territory since hostilities began in October 2023, evading Israeli air defense systems and causing damage.
Video from the blast site revealed shattered glass scattered across the sidewalks, while onlookers gathered near a building marked by the explosion. The area was cordoned off with police tape. IDF said it had initiated an investigation into the drone attack causing a "large explosion" near the U.S. embassy office and would determine why the country's air defense systems were not activated to intercept the "aerial target". Houthi militants said that the attack on Tel Aviv as the beginning of the fifth phase of their conflict with Israel.
Reactions
- Houthis: Houthis spokesman Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attack and vowed to continue targeting Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war.
- Hezbollah: Hezbollah hailed the event as a victory for the "oppressed Palestinian people" and their fighters. They mentioned that Yemeni fighters were backing the "brave Palestinian fighters" in Gaza, who are "defending all the people and nations of the Arab and Islamic world".
- Israel: Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant vowed to respond to the Houthi attack. Israeli aircraft struck military and oil refining facilities at the Hudaydah Port in retaliation the next day. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said the attack further demonstrated the current government's inability to provide security for Israeli citizens.
- United States: The U.S. condemned the strike, calling it "the latest in the Houthis' reckless and destabilizing actions."
- European Union: The EU said it "firmly condemns the indiscriminate Houthi-claimed drone attack on Tel Aviv." Spokeswoman Nabila Massrali said that "International Humanitarian Law strictly prohibits indiscriminate shelling of civilian population centers and applies to all actors at all times without exception."
- United Nations: UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was "deeply concerned about the risk such dangerous acts pose for further escalation in the region," urging "maximum restraint."
Israeli response
Israel's Defense Ministry stated that the operational plans for the strikes on Yemen were reviewed and approved on 20 July morning, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and other top defense officials overseeing the discussions. The Israeli cabinet convened for a special emergency meeting, with ministers summoned on short notice, to approve the operation. The cabinet meeting, chaired by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi, was conducted under strict censorship.
The Israeli attack commenced at 6pm local time. The attacks hit a refinery, electricity power station, fuel storage facilities, cranes, and equipment belonging to humanitarian aid agencies. (Hudaydah port has been used to supply humanitarian aid to Yemen). Nine port employees of the Yemen Petroleum Company were killed, and 87 people were injured, most of them with severe burns. Witnesses (about 2 miles, 3.2 km from the bombed areas) reported about 12 separate blasts in two barrages, and said the Israeli attack was so intense it reminded them of the Saudi bombing of the city in 2015.
Targets
The Israeli attacks specifically targeted an electricity generation station, according to local Yemeni channel Al-Masirah TV (run by the Houthis). Other expert also confirmed attacks on the power station. Residents confirmed widespread power outages. A Middle East expert at Navanti Group said power shortages will increase suffering of the local population.
A fire described as "huge" was created after Israel bombed a refinery and fuel storage depots at the port, belonging to the Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC). It was estimated the fuel storage contained more than 100,000 litres (22,000 imp gal; 26,000 US gal) of fuel. Some of the fuel was owned by YPC, while the rest was owned by independent Yemeni businesses. The Houthis, who form the government in Hudaydah, have also been known to make money off fuel sales in Yemen.
Israel also hit cranes at the harbor. The World Food Programme reported damage to a crane its aid vessel was using. There were other merchant vessels adjacent to the cranes the IDF struck, and its not clear the extent of their damage. The warzone reported that Hudaydah port had just two heavy dockside cranes, and both were severely damaged by Israel. Their loss will considerably slow down humanitarian shipments into Yemen. Israel, however, claims these cranes were used to unload Iranian weapons and published footage of destroying the cranes.
American and Israeli officials claimed that Israel only targeted Houthi military sites in the area of the port, used for weapon storage. According to these officials, Israel attacked the Hudaydah Port because it is used for transfers of weapons from Iran, and facilitates export and import of goods.
Images and videos posted on social media have shown flames and smoke rising in the city. Fires continued to burn, with smoke lingering, for several days after the attack.
Military logistics
The airstrike involved complex logistical and tactical measures due to the significant distance of 1,700 kilometers (1,100 mi) from Israel. The operation used aerial refueling with Boeing 707 "Re'em" aircraft, low-altitude flights to evade enemy radar, and possibly coordination with Saudi Arabia. The airstrikes mark the first time Israel has attacked Yemen. The IDF's task force included aerial intelligence and surveillance by the "Nachshon" squadron, naval support from warships and possibly a submarine in the Red Sea, and the use of "stand-off" munitions from a range of 100 kilometers (62 mi). The primary strike force comprised F-35I "Adir" and F-15 fighters.
The Israeli government awaited the return of the aircraft before confirming responsibility for the operation.
Involvement of other countries
Saudi Arabian outlet Al Arabiya said the bombing was a joint operation between Israel, the US and the UK. US officials denied involvement. The Guardian noted that US forces had bombed Hudaydah as recently as June 2024.
Israeli news outlet Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Israel likely coordinated the attack with Saudi authorities, given the proximity of Saudi airspace to the likely route Israeli jets took to reach Yemen.
Firefighting and repairs
Firefighting teams arrived immediately to the port, but struggled to contain the blaze. The fire had expanded and threatened both humanitarian ships and food storage facilities. Meanwhile, Yemeni port authorities kept other parts of the port facilities functional to receive ships carrying food, medicine and fuel. Yemeni human rights group, Mwatana, reported that some additional casualties may be buried under the rubble and could not be reached due to the fires.
Repairs on the power plant damaged by Israel were started, as authorities tried to bring back electricity to the Yemeni people.
Two container ships docked at the port on 23 July, making them the first merchant vessels to use the port since the Israeli airstrikes. By 28 July, the port had become fully operational.
The Yemen Red Sea Ports Corporation, which runs the Hudaydah Port, estimated that the strikes caused over US$20,000,000 in damages, excluding losses caused by the destruction of fuel storage facilities. Two cranes and a small vessel were destroyed, while damage was caused to nearby buildings and docks.