Israeli military says it has struck Houthi targets in Yemen in response to attacks

The Israeli army said on Saturday it has struck several Houthi targets in western Yemen following a fatal drone attack by the rebel group in Tel Aviv the previous day.

The Israeli strikes appeared to be the first on Yemeni soil since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, and they threatened to open a new front in the region as Israel battles proxies of Iran.

A number of "military targets" were hit in the western port city of Hodeidah, a Houthi stronghold, the Israeli army said, adding that its attack was in response to "hundreds of attacks" against Israel in recent months.

The Ministry of Health in Sanaa said that 80 people were wounded in a preliminary toll of the strikes in Hodeidah, most of them with severe burns.

An Israeli Defence Forces official didn't say how many sites were targeted, but told journalists that the port is the main entry point for Iranian weapons.

The official didn't say whether it was Israel's first attack on Yemen.

Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam posted on X that the "blatant Israeli aggression" targeted fuel storage facilities and the province's power station.

A media outlet controlled by Houthi rebels in Yemen, Al-Masirah TV, said the strikes on storage facilities for oil and diesel at the port and on the local electricity company caused deaths and injuries, and several people had severe burns.

It said there was a large fire at the port and power cuts were widespread.

Health officials in Yemen said the strikes killed a number of people and wounded others, but didn't elaborate.

The drone attack by Houthi rebels killed one person in the center of Tel Aviv and wounded at least 10 others near the U.S. Embassy early Friday.

An injured Yemeni worker receives medical treatment at Al Thawrah hospital in Hodeidah, in western Yemen, following attacks, Saturday, July 20, 2024. (AP)

Virtually all projectiles fired from the southern Arabian country toward Israel have been intercepted.

Israel said air defenses detected the drone on Friday but an "error" occurred.

Experts have expressed doubt about the Houthis' ability to overwhelm Israel's air defense system from about 1600 kilometres away.