Israel Navy attacks Houthis for first time in Hodeidah Port Strike

Author: Published: June 10, 2025

All previous Israeli strikes on the Houthis, around 10, were conducted by the IAF.

Initial footage of a blast seen in Yemen's al-Hodeidah port, on September 29, 2024
Initial footage of a blast seen in Yemen’s al-Hodeidah port, on September 29, 2024
(photo credit: SCREENSHOT/X/VIA SECTION 27A OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT)
ByYONAH JEREMY BOB, AMICHAI STEIN, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Updated: 
The IDF on Tuesday morning confirmed that, for the first time during the war, the navy had attacked the Yemeni Houthis at their Hodeidah maritime port using their large-class naval missile boats.

According to the IDF, the navy’s unique capabilities to attack, including from close range without having to immediately fly back to Israel so as not to run out of fuel, is allowing the IDF to attack targets at the Hodeidah port which it was more difficult for the air force to attack in around 10 prior aerial attacks on the Houthis dating back to July 2024.

Despite these prior attacks, the Houthis have managed to continue to use aspects of the Hodeidah port for terror purposes to advance attacks on Israel using ballistic missiles and drones.

The latest attack by the navy is designed to deepen the harm to the Houthis’ ability to strike Israel, though even after the naval attack on Tuesday, the IDF did not say it expected Houthi attacks on Israel would end.

Defense Minister Israel Katz praised the operation, saying, “I congratulate the Navy on the successful attack on the port of Hodeidah in Yemen. Israel’s long arm, both in the air and at sea, will reach everywhere. We warned the Houthi terrorist organization that if they continue to fire at Israel, they will face a powerful response and enter a naval and air blockade. That’s what we did today – and we will continue to do so in the future.”

 

 

Importantly, The Jerusalem Post has learned that Katz did not mean a physical blockade of Israeli naval ships are or will be positioned off the coats of Yemen to prevent maratime commerce.

Rather, Katz meant that to the extent that Israel has repeatedly struck all of the Houthis’ major maritime ports and its international airport, no countries or businesses are coming anywhere near those areas in order to avoid getting caught up in the conflict.

Since the start of the war, the Houthis have fired well over 400 ballistic missiles and drones at Israel, with Jerusalem not directly responding until an Israeli in Tel Aviv was killed by a Houthi drone in July 2024.

 

From that point on, the IDF has periodically launched air strikes on Hodeidah, on Sanaa International Airport, and on other ports and electrical facilities of the Houthis.

Yet, Israeli intelligence has told the Jerusalem Post that the Houthis are difficult to deter and that short of an end to the war or the Houthis’ Sunni opposition in Yemen toppling them from areas which they currently control, it will be hard to completely end Houthi firing on Israel.

In fact, recent weeks have seen more frequent Houthi ballistic missile attacks on Israel than in some other periods of the war, despite more frequent Israeli aerial counterattacks.

One problem Israel has now is that the US cut a separate deal with the Houthis not to attack American ships, but this did not address attacks on the Jewish state.

This has meant that there is now far less American pressure on the Houthis for their attacks on Israel than there was at earlier points in the war, though for a few months in early 2025, the Trump administration had escalated attacks on the Houthis.

Earlier Tuesday morning, an Israeli official confirmed Israel’s attack to The Jerusalem Post even before the IDF message went out.

The strikes follow a statement from the Israeli military’s Arabic spokesperson late on Monday, posted on X, urging the evacuation of the Houthi-controlled Yemeni ports of Ras Isa, Hodeidah, and Salif.

IDF Spokesperson in Arabic, Avichay Adraee, issued an evacuation notice for three seaports in Yemen, according to a X/Twitter post on Monday night.

“Warning to all those present in the seaports controlled by the terrorist Houthi regime: Ras Isa Port, Hodeidah Port, Al-Salif Port,” the post read.

“Due to the terrorist Houthi regime’s use of seaports for its terrorist activities, we urge all those present at these ports to evacuate and stay away from them for your own safety until further notice.”

Previous Israeli attacks on Yemeni ports

This comes after a series of Israel Air Force attacks in Yemen. On May 28, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the Air Force struck Sana’a International Airport and destroyed the Houthis’ last remaining aircraft. The attack was carried out as part of Operation Golden Jewel.

Fifteen fighter jets operated in daylight to disable two main ports in Yemen, after a long period of focused intelligence gathering. According to IDF estimates, the ports that were hit are not expected to return to full operation before a month has passed.

Katz said that the operation was “a clear message” to the Houthis regarding the terror group’s targeting of Israel.

Israeli Navy carries out Yemen strikes for 1st time, targeting Houthi port

Author: Published: June 10, 2025

Likely the farthest-ever confirmed offensive action by Israeli missile boats, 1,800 km away; previous strikes carried out by air force; missile fired from Yemen at Israel falls short

By Emanuel Fabian 

Today, 10:35 am

Destruction at the port in Yemen's city of Hodeida after Israel's military warplanes struck Houthi rebel-held positions, on May 6, 2025. (AFP)

Destruction at the port in Yemen’s city of Hodeida after Israel’s military warplanes struck Houthi rebel-held positions, on May 6, 2025. (AFP)

In a first, Israeli Navy missile boats on Tuesday morning launched strikes against infrastructure at the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida in western Yemen, the military said in a statement.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Israel Defense Forces said the strikes from the sea came in response to recent Houthi ballistic missile and drone attacks on Israel, the latest carried out on Monday night.

The strikes on Tuesday likely marked the farthest-ever confirmed offensive action carried out by Israeli Navy missile boats. Hodeida is located some 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) from Israel.

It marked the eleventh Israeli strike on the Houthis since the start of the conflict, with the previous 10 all having been carried out by the Israeli Air Force.

Military officials have previously said that Navy vessels are used for certain strikes instead of the traditional fighter jets or drones, due to their constant availability at sea and because the attacks can be launched more discreetly.

Since the last Israeli airstrikes on the Houthis in Yemen on May 28, the Iran-backed group has fired seven ballistic missiles and at least one drone at Israel. A missile fired Monday night fell short before reaching Israel.

An Israeli Navy missile boat is seen off the coast of Eilat, October 31, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

In its statement, the IDF said the strike Tuesday morning “was intended to deepen the damage to the military use of the port, which has been targeted by the IDF over the past year and continues to be used for terror activity.”

The port was used by the Houthis to “transfer weapons and serves as yet another example of the Houthi terror regime’s cynical exploitation of civilian infrastructure to advance terror operations,” the IDF said.

On Monday, the IDF issued an evacuation warning for the port, along with the nearby Ras Isa and Salif ports. The latter two were not targeted on Tuesday.

Following the strike, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the Iran-backed group against continuing its attacks on Israel.

“We have warned the Houthi terror organization that if they continue to shoot at Israel, they will face a powerful response and be under a naval and aerial blockade,” Katz said.

“This is what we did today, and we will continue to do so in the future,” he added.

A Yemeni youth carries a mock missile during an anti-Israel rally in solidarity with Palestinians and the Gaza Strip, in the Houthi-run capital Sanaa, May 16, 2025. (Mohammed Huwais/AFP)

The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and general maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas massacre.

They held their fire when a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas in January 2025.

By that point, they had fired over 40 ballistic missiles and dozens of attack drones and cruise missiles at Israel, including one that killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July, prompting Israel’s first strike in Yemen.

Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 47 ballistic missiles and at least 11 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.

Iran carried out implosion tests for nuclear weapons development, IAEA reports

Author: Published: June 9, 2025

A new IAEA report reveals Iran carried out undeclared nuclear tests, prompting calls to refer the case to the UN Security Council. Much of the IAEA report is based on evidence from the Mossad.

A missile is launched during a joint exercise called the 'Great Prophet 17', in the southwest of Iran, December 24, 2021. Picture taken December 24, 2021.
A missile is launched during a joint exercise called the ‘Great Prophet 17’, in the southwest of Iran, December 24, 2021. Picture taken December 24, 2021.
(photo credit: SAEED SAJJADI/FARS NEWS/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY)VIA REUTERS)
ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
Updated: 
The recent special International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Iranian nuclear violations added many points, one being that Iran carried out multiple implosion tests, a key military skill necessary for developing the atomic bomb.Implosion tests do not have civilian nuclear uses.

Notably, though much of the report refers to Iranian military activities from 20 years ago, Tehran’s careful record-keeping means that any progress that the Islamic Republic made back then could be used to help with a more sudden, rapid push for a breakthrough to a nuclear weapon in 2025.

The fact that it carried out various explosive tests also suggests that Iran is further along in other skills needed for developing a nuclear bomb, besides just enriching uranium, than many observers may have thought.

This and multiple other findings are analyzed in detail in a position paper introduced this weekend by the Institute for Science and International Security, spearheaded by lead author and president David Albright.

A missile is launched during an annual drill in the coastal area of the Gulf of Oman and near the Strait of Hormuz, Iran (credit: REUTERS)
A missile is launched during an annual drill in the coastal area of the Gulf of Oman and near the Strait of Hormuz, Iran (credit: REUTERS)

Much of the IAEA report is based on evidence from Mossad

According to the think tank, the IAEA Board of Governors must refer Tehran’s nuclear violations to the UN Security Council during its meeting, which opens on Monday and runs until June 13.

All of this is occurring as the Islamic Republic and the US are the closest they have been to a new nuclear deal in years, but also not far from a possible collapse in the talks, which could lead to an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.In a more detailed analysis of the IAEA report, the think tank said that the agency discloses its assessment “that Iran tested neutron initiators produced at Lavizan-Shian and cites specific dates, but notably, it does not mention a location.”Albright wrote that the IAEA report said instead that “the EDNS [explosively driven neutron sources] produced at Lavizan-Shian were small-scale, designed for testing, and integrated into scaled implosion systems. [They were] tested on at least two occasions (on February 15 and July 3, 2003).”

Next, the May 2025 report also stated anew that the IAEA found indications that “equipment was developed and tested at Lavizan-Shian that included neutron detectors and housings” and that “an identical housing for neutron detectors was deployed in an explosive test at Marivan on April 15, 2003.”

Further, the IAEA report provided new information about the equipment and materials that were present at Varamin, saying, “This equipment contained all of the essential equipment for a uranium conversion facility, including small but heavily contaminated (and possibly full) UF6 Cylinders, uranium extractants (such as tributyl phosphate (TBP), uranium extraction and conversion hardware, fluorine-based chemicals (hydrofluoric acid (HF) and potassium difluoride (KHF2), and radiation monitoring equipment.”

Moreover, the IAEA said that in sorting the material and equipment and placing it into containers, Iran categorized the items as either “essential” or “nonessential.”

This resulted in five containers being deemed “essential” and eight containers being categorized as “nonessential.”“The operators of Varamin” also took into account the level of contamination with nuclear material and that one of the containers considered “essential” was categorized as being “the highest level of contamination,” containing “small UF6 Cylinders and other ‘special materials,’” according to Albright.

The report also concludes that Lavizan-Shian, Marivan, and Varamin, as well as “other possible related locations,” were “part of an undeclared structured nuclear program.”

It added that Iran retained nuclear material or related equipment from this program at Turquzabad from 2009 to 2018. The whereabouts of these resources is currently unknown.

The IAEA also discussed and connected these activities to the missing amount of uranium that was once present at Iran’s Jaber Ibn Hayan Multipurpose Laboratory (JHL).

Also, Albright wrote that for the first time, “the IAEA revealed its assessment that the four sites and missing nuclear material in Iran are directly connected.”

Moreover, the think tank said that the report provided new information on the extent of Iranian attempts to sanitize locations of interest to the IAEA and provide false information when faced with questions.

It stated that “the provision of inaccurate and sometimes contradictory explanations seriously obstructed” the IAEA’s efforts.

The atomic watchdog agency said explicitly that although the matters on Lavizan-Shian and Marivan were “no longer outstanding,” this did not mean the issues were “resolved.”

Much of the IAEA report originated from evidence brought to it by the Mossad, which seized Iran’s nuclear archives in 2018.

Newer Posts Older Posts