Iran-backed group's territory hit by Israel for first time as Gaza war feared to spillover
Israeli officials said this marked the first-ever attack on the Yemeni territory controlled by the group backed by Iran.
Israel launched a deadly attack on Houthi territory in Yemen hours after a drone attack ordered by the Iran-backed group on Tel Aviv killed a 50-year-old Israeli and wounded 10 other people.
The attack, the first-ever ordered by Jerusalem on Yemen according to Israeli officials, targeted on Saturday oil facilities in the western port city of Hodeidah.
Pictures from the scene show massive flames engulfing oil storage facilities and thick smoke rising miles into the air.
The Israeli attack killed at least three people and injured more than 80, most of which reported "severe burns", according to the Houthi-run Al Masirah TV.
Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam claimed the strikes also hit civilian targets and a power station.
Abdulsalam described the attack as a "brutal Israeli aggression" aimed at worsening the "suffering of the people of Yemen" and leading his group to stop its support of Gaza.
On the other hand, the Israeli Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, said the attack had come after his country had endured dozens of episodes of aggression from the Houthis.
He said: "The Houthis attacked us over 200 times. The first time that they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do this in any place where it may be required."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke about the attack on the Houthis' territory, saying Hodeidah was "not an innocent port". The Israeli leader claimed the port was "used for military purposes" and as an "entry point for deadly weapons supplied to the Houthis by Iran" - as well as to attack international shipping in the Red Sea.
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Houthi army spokesperson Yehya Saree vowed to respond to the strike, warning the Houthis were ready to hit Israel’s "vital targets" - before adding Tel Aviv was not safe either.
He said: "We have prepared for a long war with this enemy until the aggression stops and the blockade on the Palestinian people is lifted."
On Sunday, the Houthis claimed to have targeted the Israeli Red Sea resort city of Eliat with multiple ballistic missiles, with Jerusalem saying its air defences had intercepted one rocket from Yemen before it crossed into its airspace.
The Houthis have been causing major disruption to ships crossing the Red Sea since November last year as well as firing attacks against Israel to show their support for Gaza.
Israel's decision to hit Yemen marks a first likely to further raise fears the war between Hamas and Israel could spill over into a regional conflict.
