Strikes target Yemen s Hodeidah Houthi affiliated TV says blaming Israel US

CAIRO – Yemen’s Houthis said the US and Israel struck the port of Hodeida on May 5, hours after a reported US air raid on Sanaa and a day after the Iran-backed rebels targeted Israel’s main airport.

The Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV said that “US-Israeli aggression (targeted) with six strikes the port of Hodeida” on Yemen’s western coast, also reporting “US-Israeli aggression on the Bajil district” in the same province.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to AFP that Israeli warplanes struck Yemen.

Earlier, the Houthis’ Saba news agency said US strikes hit the capital Sanaa and the airport road, wounding 16 people, according to the rebels’ Health Ministry.

Al-Masirah reported another three strikes in Sanaa and seven in the northern governorate of Al-Jawf.

The reports on Houthi media come after Israel said a missile fired from Yemen on May 4 struck inside the perimeter of Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv for the first time.

The Houthis claimed responsibility, saying they fired a “hypersonic ballistic missile” at Ben Gurion, Israel’s main international gateway.

The rebels said they “will work to impose a comprehensive air blockade on the Israeli enemy by repeatedly targeting airports, most notably... Ben Gurion Airport”.

The missile gouged a wide crater in the ground near an airport carpark, injuring six people and forcing airlines to suspend flights.

The Houthis, who control swathes of Yemen, including Sanaa, have launched missiles and drones targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a tough response against the Houthis, as well as its main backer Iran, over the attack.

In a video published on messaging app Telegram before the reported attack on Hodeida, Mr Netanyahu said Israel had “acted