Yemeni government condemns Israeli airstrikes on Hodeidah

A view of the wreckage of a power station destroyed by Israeli air strikes in the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, in Hodeidah, Yemen September 30, 2024. (Reuters)
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  • Warns the ‘Iranian regime, its agent militias’ and Israel not to use Yemen as a battleground

AL-MUKALLA: Yemen’s internationally recognized government on Monday condemned Israeli airstrikes on the Houthi-held west-coast city of Hodeidah, and warned Israel and Iran not to use the country as a battleground.

It said the attack on Sunday was a violation of Yemen’s territorial sovereignty, as well as international norms and charters, and made the already dire humanitarian situation in the country even worse.

The Yemeni government “warns the Iranian regime, its agent militias and the Zionist entity that they risk escalating the situation and turning the region into a staging ground for their absurd wars and destructive projects,” the official Yemeni state news agency SABA reported.

The strikes caused large explosions and smoke hung over the area in the aftermath. The Houthi Ministry of Health said that four people were killed and 40 wounded, many of whom were in critical condition.

The attack came a day after the Israeli military said it shot down a ballistic missile outside Israel’s borders that had been launched by the Houthi militia in Yemen.

The Houthis said they had targeted Ben Gurion International Airport with the missile as part of their ongoing campaign, in support of the Palestinian people, to put pressure on Israel to end its war in Gaza. This campaign has also included months of attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and other waters off the coast of Yemen.

The attack on Sunday was the second time Israeli forces have targeted Hodeidah. The first was on July 20, when power plants and port facilities, including one with an oil terminal, were hit in response to a Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv in which 10 Israelis were killed or injured.