US denies involvement in Israeli airstrike on Yemen's Hodeidah

Shafaq News: On Saturday, the US distanced itself from the Israeli airstrike on Yemen's Hodeidah.

White House spokesperson John Kirby said "The United States was not involved in today's strikes in Yemen, and we did not coordinate or assist Israel with the strikes,"

The Israeli military said in a statement: “Fighter jets struck military targets of the Houthi terror regime in the area of the Hodeida Port in Yemen, in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months.”

“This is a complex attack, one of the farthest and longest carried out by the Israeli Air Force. It required careful planning and preparation for a variety of possible threats in the area,” Israeli army Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a press conference, adding, “The port attacked by Israeli aircraft is a key supply route for Iranian weapons to Yemen, including those used in Friday morning's attack in Tel Aviv.”

In this context, he confirmed that Saturday's strikes were "carried out solely by the Israeli army,” and “Israel notified its friends."

In response, the Houthi movement (Ansarallah) vowed to retaliate against the Israeli bombing of Hodeidah, declaring readiness for a prolonged war with Israel.

“Israel will pay the price for its strikes in Yemen,” Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the political bureau of Ansarallah posted on X.

According to the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, nearly 80 people were wounded in the Israeli air strikes.

Since last November, the Houthis have launched over 150 attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, claiming they were heading to Israel. They also vowed to expand their attacks to the Mediterranean Sea to support Gaza, which has been under Israeli attack since October 7.