The Israeli Air Force is conducting strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets in Yemen on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed.
The IDF said in a statement that its air force struck Houthi targets in Yemen approximately 1,800 kilometers from Israel.
The Israeli military described “an extensive, intelligence-based aerial operation” involving dozens of IAF aircraft, including fighter jets, midair refueling aircraft, and intelligence aircraft, striking “military targets belonging to the Houthi terrorist regime in the Ras Isa and Hudaydah areas of Yemen.”
The IDF said targets included power plants and a seaport used to import oil, “which were used by the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer Iranian weapons to the region, in addition to military supplies and oil.”
The operation was conducted in response to recent attacks by the Houthis against Israel, the IDF said.
“Over the past year, the Houthis have been operating under the direction and funding of Iran, and in cooperation with Iraqi militias in order to attack the State of Israel, undermine regional stability, and disrupt global freedom of navigation,” the IDF said. “The IDF is determined to continue operating at any distance – near or far – against all threats to the citizens of the State of Israel.”
The campaign against the Houthis in Yemen comes amid already heightened tensions in the region after Israeli strikes outside Beirut, Lebanon, killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Houthi leader Adul Malik al-Houthi vowed revenge for Nasrallah’s killing, according to Tazpit Press Service (TPS), an international Israeli news agency.
“We will move toward escalation and developing our military performance,” al-Houthi reportedly said.
As the one-year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war approaches, Houthis have continued a campaign to target ships traveling through the Red Sea as U.S.-led airstrikes earlier this month pounded their positions in Yemen. That’s imperiled a waterway that typically sees $1 trillion of trade pass through it, as well as crucial shipments of aid to war-torn Sudan and Yemen, according to The Associated Press.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who reportedly has gone into hiding in his country, has also warned of potential retaliation from Iran and its terrorist proxies in response to Nasrallah’s killing.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that Hezbollah’s command structure “has been nearly decimated,” after Israel destroyed thousands of the terror group’s missiles and drones over the last few days. On Sunday, however, Israeli air defenses reported downing two drones coming from Lebanon.
TPS reported that the two unmanned aircraft “crossed from Lebanese territory into Israeli waters and were intercepted by a missile and an IDF (Israel Defense Forces) combat helicopter.”
In a statement on Saturday, the Pentagon press secretary, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “stressed that the United States is determined to prevent Iran and Iranian-backed partners and proxies from exploiting the situation or expanding the conflict.”
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“Secretary Austin made clear that should Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every necessary measure to defend our people,” Ryder added. “The United States retains the capability to deploy forces on short notice. The Department of Defense continues to maintain a significant amount of capability in the region and to dynamically adjust our force posture based on the evolving security situation.”
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He said Austin “directed that the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CSG) remain in the US Centcom theater and that the USS Wasp Amphibious Ready Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG/MEU) will continue to operate in the Eastern Mediterranean.” The afloat posture, Ryder said, “is complemented by DoD’s elevated fighter and attack squadron presence, including F-22, F-15E, F-16, and A-10 aircraft, and we will further reinforce our defensive air-support capabilities in the coming days.”
Fox News’ Yael Rotem-Kuriel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.