The Israeli Air Force carried out its largest operation yet against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen on Thursday night, pounding military sites in the capital Sanaa with dozens of precision munitions in response to a drone attack on Eilat that wounded 22 people.
According to the IDF, some 20 fighter jets flew over 2,200 kilometers to hit seven high-value Houthi targets, including the group’s general staff headquarters, weapons depots, and compounds belonging to its intelligence and propaganda apparatus. The strikes, dubbed Operation Moving Package, dropped more than 65 munitions and killed “many dozens of Houthi terror operatives,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
The Houthis, who openly declare “Death to Israel, Death to America” as their slogan, launched a ballistic missile at Israel hours after the strikes. Israeli air defenses successfully intercepted it, though hundreds of thousands of civilians in central Israel were forced into bomb shelters.
The IAF assault came just one day after a Houthi drone evaded air defenses and struck Eilat, injuring dozens of Israelis. The IDF admitted that the Iron Dome system malfunctioned during the interception attempt but stated that corrective measures have now been implemented.
Thursday’s strikes marked the 19th Israeli attack on Houthi targets in Yemen since the group began launching waves of missiles and drones toward Israel in late 2023, following Hamas’s October 7 massacre. The Houthis have fired more than 150 drones and 90 ballistic missiles at Israel since then, killing at least one civilian in Tel Aviv and repeatedly targeting Eilat and Ramon Airport.
Beyond their direct attacks on Israel, the Houthis have posed a significant threat to global stability by targeting international shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Vessels from the United States, Britain, and even neutral countries such as Japan and the Philippines have been attacked by Houthi missiles and drones, forcing many companies to reroute commercial shipping around Africa at enormous cost.
Israel has repeatedly warned that Houthi aggression, fueled and armed by Iran, is not only a threat to its own civilians but also to international commerce and maritime security. By striking military headquarters and weapons depots in Sanaa, Israeli officials say they are not only defending Israeli lives but also pushing back against a terrorist group that has disrupted one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes.
“The Houthis’ so-called security and intelligence apparatus is not just repressing their own people,” the IDF said in a statement. “It is directly involved in planning and executing terror operations against Israel and against international maritime traffic. We will continue to act wherever necessary to eliminate the threat.”
Israel has vowed additional operations against the Houthis in the coming days, stressing that its citizens—whether in Tel Aviv, Eilat, or anywhere else—will not be held hostage to Iranian proxy terror.
