Yemen’s armed forces launched a coordinated missile and drone assault on Israeli targets Monday, in retaliation for a series of Israeli airstrikes on the port city of Hodeidah and other strategic coastal areas. The strikes come amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where more than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023. The escalation marks Yemen’s most direct military engagement in support of the Palestinian cause.

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Brigadier General Yahya Saree, spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, reported that at least 20 Israeli airstrikes targeted sites across Yemen, including the ports of Hodeidah, Salif, and Ras Issa, as well as the Ras Qatif power station. Yemeni air defenses, using domestically built surface-to-air missiles, reportedly intercepted much of the assault and forced Israeli warplanes to retreat without completing their missions.

In response, Yemen launched 11 ballistic missiles and drones at Israeli military and infrastructure targets. According to Saree, a hypersonic “Palestine-2” missile struck Lod/Ben Gurion Airport near Yafa (Tel Aviv), while other hypersonic missiles hit Ashdod Port and a power station in Ashkelon.

Eight drones were also deployed to strike the port of Umm al-Rashrash (Eilat). Saree claimed that all missiles and drones successfully hit their targets and that Israel’s air defense systems failed to intercept any of them.

In a related action, Yemeni forces reportedly prevented a U.S. military transport aircraft—allegedly carrying weapons for Israel—from landing, reinforcing Yemen’s declared blockade on Israeli-bound military shipments as part of its broader support for Gaza.

General Saree said the operation was a direct response to Israeli aggression and a reflection of Yemen’s religious, moral, and humanitarian duty. “With God’s help, we will continue to fulfill our responsibility to support the oppressed Palestinian people in Gaza, the land of pride and resistance,” he stated.

Yemeni forces warned that any further attacks on their territory would trigger broader and sustained retaliation. “This aggression will only strengthen our resolve and increase operations in support of Palestine,” Saree said. The latest escalation signals not only a strategic military response, but also Yemen’s growing alignment with regional actors resisting Israeli occupation and Western-backed military campaigns in the region.

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