Israeli jets strike Houthi targets in Yemen after Tel Aviv attack

Israeli fighter jets struck Houthi military targets in the area of Hodeidah port in Yemen on July 20, the Israeli military said, a day after a drone launched by the Iranian-backed group hit Israel's economic hub Tel Aviv, Report informs referring to Reuters.

At least 80 people were wounded, most with severe burns, in airstrikes that targeted oil facilities and a power station at Hodeidah, Al-Masirah TV, the main television news outlet run by Yemen's Houthi movement, quoted the health ministry as saying.

Hodeidah residents told Reuters by phone that explosions were heard throughout the city during an intensive bombardment and Al-Masirah TV said civil defence forces and firefighters were trying to extinguish fires in the port's oil tanks.

Israel's military spokesperson said the port had been used by the Houthis to receive weapons shipments from Iran. The targets, more than 1,700 km (1,056 miles) from Israel, included dual-use sites such as energy infrastructure, he said.

Israel had informed allies before the strike, which the military said was carried out by Israeli F-15 fighters that all returned safely.

The Houthis' Supreme Political Council said there would be an "effective response" to the Israeli airstrikes. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree also said the Houthis "will not hesitate to strike vital targets of the Israeli enemy."

The strike on Yemen, which Israeli officials said came after more than 200 Houthi attacks on Israel, underlined fears that the Gaza war, triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, could spiral into a regional conflict.