Worthy Christian News > War on Terrorism > Israel Strikes Houthi Targets at Yemen’s Hodeida Port in Retaliation for Missile Attacks

Israel Strikes Houthi Targets at Yemen’s Hodeida Port in Retaliation for Missile Attacks

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – The Israeli Air Force conducted drone strikes on Yemen’s Houthi-controlled Hodeida port on Monday, targeting military infrastructure used by the Iran-backed group to launch attacks on Israel. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the operation was carried out in direct response to ongoing Houthi missile and drone assaults, marking the thirteenth such Israeli strike on Yemen.

The IDF said its drones struck “engineering equipment working to restore port infrastructure, fuel tanks, and vessels used for military activity and attacks against the State of Israel and ships in the maritime area near the port.” Unlike prior air raids involving dozens of fighter jets and surveillance aircraft, Monday’s precision strikes were executed exclusively by drones.

“This is part of a sustained campaign to disrupt the Houthi terror regime’s ability to threaten Israeli security and global maritime trade,” the IDF stated. The Houthis, known for their extremist slogans and close ties to Tehran, have dramatically escalated their operations since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel in 2023, launching over 60 ballistic missiles and 15 drones since March 18 alone.

Defense Minister Israel Katz emphasized that Israel is determined to deny the Houthis any opportunity to rebuild previously destroyed military infrastructure. “The Houthis will pay a heavy price for firing missiles at the State of Israel,” Katz declared. “Yemen’s law is Tehran’s law. We will continue to act at all times and in all places to defend the State of Israel.”

The latest strikes follow a July 7 operation and come amid reports that the Houthis have continued attempts to repair facilities previously targeted by Israeli forces. Since that last attack, six ballistic missiles and at least two drones have been launched at Israel from Houthi territory–none resulting in casualties or significant damage, according to Israeli military assessments.

Shortly after Monday’s operation, the IDF reported intercepting a drone approaching Israel from the east–likely launched from Yemen. No sirens were activated, and the drone was downed before reaching Israeli territory.

Israel accuses the Houthis of exploiting the Hodeida port for terror activity, including smuggling Iranian weapons and targeting international maritime traffic. “The targets struck demonstrate how the Houthi terrorist regime utilizes civilian infrastructure for military and terrorist purposes,” the IDF noted.

Since late 2023, Houthi missile and drone barrages have disrupted Red Sea commerce, with the group claiming to target vessels linked to Israel. A temporary ceasefire in January brought a brief pause to attacks, but hostilities resumed after Israel renewed its Gaza campaign in March.

The IDF’s strike on Monday was not only a tactical move but a strategic warning. As tensions simmer across multiple fronts–from Gaza and Lebanon to Yemen and Iran–Israel is signaling its willingness to confront threats wherever they emerge.

Understanding the Spiritual Dynamic of the Conflict in Yemen

At the heart of Shiite Islamic theology is the belief in a divinely guided line of imams descended from the Prophet Muhammad through his cousin and son-in-law Ali. The largest branch, Twelver Shi’ism, holds that the twelfth imam–Muhammad al-Mahdi–went into occultation in the 9th century and will one day return as the Mahdi, or “guided one,” to usher in an era of justice, defeat tyranny, and establish God’s rule on earth. This messianic expectation is central to Shiite eschatology, distinguishing it from Sunni beliefs, where the Mahdi plays a less defined and less doctrinal role.

Yemen’s connection to this theology arises through the Zaydi Shiite movement, from which the Houthi rebels emerged. While Zaydism differs from Twelver Shi’ism–it still embraces a form of messianic hope and reverence for the descendants of Ali. Over the years, the Houthi movement has been heavily influenced and radicalized by Iran’s revolutionary Shiite ideology, which blends political activism, apocalyptic expectation, and anti-Western sentiment. Tehran views the Houthis as an ideological partner and geopolitical proxy, and its clerical regime often frames regional conflicts–such as those involving the Houthis–as part of the divine struggle preceding the Mahdi’s return.

Iran’s Supreme Leader and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) often cast current events through this apocalyptic lens, portraying the chaos in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Israel as signs of the end times and the impending rise of the Mahdi. In this framework, conflict with Israel is especially charged, as Shiite eschatology anticipates a great confrontation between the forces of justice (led by the Mahdi and Jesus, Isa) and the forces of oppression. By supporting groups like the Houthis, Hezbollah, and various militias across the Middle East, Iran sees itself as both hastening the Mahdi’s emergence and fulfilling its theological duty to prepare the ground for his global leadership.

Latest Worthy News