Yemen’s Houthis vow major response to Israeli strike that killed 6

Hodeida, Yemen — AFP

Following Israel’s deadly strike on the port of Hodeida, Yemen’s Houthis have promised a “huge” retaliation against Israel, as regional fallout widens from months of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

On Sunday, Israel claimed that it had intercepted a missile allegedly fired from Yemen and struck targets in southern Lebanon.

The fighting across the region comes as Washington, Israel’s chief military supplier, says a deal to end more than nine months of genocidal war by Israel on Gaza is near the “goal line”.

However, Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry warned Israel’s attack on Hodeida “aggravates the current tension in the region and halts the ongoing efforts to end the war in Gaza.”

Dozens have been killed since Saturday across Gaza, the civil defence agency in the occupied territory said, including in strikes on homes in the central Nuseirat and Bureij areas and near southern Khan Yunis.

Residents said a major operation was underway in a district west of Rafah, where they reported heavy artillery and clashes.

On Sunday, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, chief of the group, said the strikes on Hodeida would lead to “further escalation and more attacks targeting Israel.”

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said earlier that the rebels’ “response to the Israeli aggression against our country is inevitably coming and will be huge.”

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the fire left raging by the strikes on

Hodeida port “is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear.”

Gallant warned of further operations if the Houthis “dare to attack us.”

A military analyst, however, said Houthi drones do not pose a “strategic threat” to Israel.

– Fuel storage tanks –

The Houthis control swathes of Yemen, including much of its Red Sea coast.

In Hodeida, six Yemeni civilians were killed and 83 wounded, health officials said in an updated statement carried by Houthi media.

Firefighters struggled to contain the massive blaze caused by the strike. A port employee said fuel storage tanks and a power plant were still burning on Sunday.

Since January the Houthis have already withstood repeated United States and British strikes aimed at deterring repeated Huthi attacks on shipping.

Nearly a decade of war against the Houthis has failed to weaken their hold, even though they were hit by thousands of air raids.

Yemen expert Nicholas Brumfield said, however, that the Hodeida attack will have a “dire humanitarian” impact on ordinary Yemenis.