Israel carries out long-range airstrike against Houthis

One of the F-35Is that the IDF said participated in the mission. It is unclear if the type launched any weapons. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out its longest-range strike to date when it attacked the Red Sea port of Al-Hudaydah in Yemen on 20 July.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the strike was a response to the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack that was carried out by the Yemeni group Ansar Allah (commonly known as the Houthis) and killed an Israeli civilian and injured several others in Tel Aviv on 19 July.

He said the IAF had targeted “dual-use infrastructure” at the Houthi-controlled port, which he described as the “main supply route for the transfer of Iranian weapons from Iran to Yemen, like the UAV that was used in the attack on Friday morning”.

The IDF released footage filmed by missile seekers as they approached the cranes at Al-Hudaydah port. Satellite imagery and videos filmed on the ground showed the fuel storage tanks at the port were also hit.

Rear Adm Hagari said the strike was an “IDF-only action”. The Saudi Ministry of Defense also released a statement saying that it was not involved and would not allow its airspace to be infiltrated by any party.

Al-Hudaydah's port is about 1,820 km from Israeli territory and only about 60 km further if the IAF avoided Saudi Arabia by flying through Egyptian airspace to reach the Red Sea.