On Saturday, July 20, 2024, the Houthi group declared that the Israeli attack on the Hodeidah Governorate in western Yemen would only increase their “determination and steadfastness” in supporting the Gaza Strip. They vowed to carry out operations that will “disturb the peace” of Tel Aviv in retaliation for the attack.
A Houthi spokesperson, Mohammed Abdulsalam, stated on the platform X (formerly Twitter), “The brutal Israeli aggression against Yemen, targeting civilian facilities including oil tanks at the Hodeidah port and the electricity station, aims to multiply the suffering of the Yemeni people and pressure Yemen to cease its support for Gaza.”
He added, “This is a dream that will not be realized. What we affirm is that this brutal aggression will only make the Yemeni people and their valiant armed forces more determined and steadfast in their escalating support for Gaza.”
In a similar vein, a senior member of the Houthi Political Council, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, promised “operations that will disturb Israel” in response to the Hodeidah airstrikes.
Al-Houthi said on X, “The battle with the temporary entity (Israel) continues with the support of the Yemeni people, for the honorable battle of the nation and its central cause in Gaza, Palestine.”
He continued, “What the entity did is an act of aggression by a terrorist enemy. The bombardment is a crime added to the list of its savage crimes.”
Al-Houthi added, “This crime will not deter us from continuing our support for Gaza and Palestine, but rather there will be operations that will disturb the temporary entity,” though he did not provide details about the nature of these operations.
In a related statement, Hamas leader Ezzat al-Rishq declared that “Israel will be burned by the fire” ignited in Hodeidah, Yemen.
This comment came in response to the Israeli airstrikes targeting the Hodeidah Governorate in western Yemen.
Al-Rishq stated on Telegram, “The occupying state (Israel) will be burned by the fire ignited in Hodeidah, Yemen, without a doubt. The accumulation of Zionist crimes means changing the terms of the equation altogether.”
He added, “Yemen and its people, including the Ansar Allah (Houthi) brothers, are paying the price for their stance of pride and honor in defending Palestine and its people who are undergoing a Nazi-like extermination war in the Gaza Strip.”
Al-Rishq concluded, “May God accept the martyrs of the people in Hodeidah, who are martyrs of Palestine and Yemen. May God heal their wounded and reward them for their heroism and bravery.”
Earlier on Saturday, the Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV channel reported that there were casualties as a result of Israeli airstrikes on the Hodeidah port, though they did not specify the number of casualties.
The channel stated that the airstrikes “targeted the oil tanks at the Hodeidah port and the governorate’s electricity station.”
The channel also aired images showing massive explosions and fires resulting from the airstrikes.
In a formal statement, the Israeli military confirmed conducting attacks on targets in Hodeidah, Yemen, claiming that these targets were affiliated with the Houthi group.
This announcement follows a drone attack carried out by the Houthi group on Tel Aviv early Friday morning, which resulted in the death of one Israeli and injuries to nine others.
In “solidarity with Gaza,” which is facing a devastating Israeli war supported by the U.S., the Houthis are targeting Israeli or affiliated commercial vessels in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean with missiles and drones.
