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Israel's subject launched airstrikes aboriginal connected Monday (July 7, 2025) targeting ports and facilities held by Yemen's Houthi rebels, with the rebels responding with rocket occurrence targeting Israel.
The attacks came aft an onslaught connected Sunday targeting a Liberian-flagged vessel successful the Red Sea that caught occurrence and took connected water, aboriginal forcing its unit to wantonness the vessel.
Suspicion for the attack connected the Greek-owned bulk bearer Magic Seas instantly fell connected the Houthis, peculiarly arsenic a information steadfast said bomb-carrying drone boats appeared to deed the vessel aft it was targeted by tiny arms and rocket-propelled grenades. The rebels' media reported connected the onslaught but did not assertion it. It tin instrumentality them hours oregon adjacent days earlier they admit an assault.
A renewed Houthi run against shipping could again gully successful U.S. and Western forces to the area, peculiarly aft President Donald Trump targeted the rebels successful a large airstrike campaign.
The vessel onslaught comes astatine a delicate infinitesimal successful the Middle East, arsenic a imaginable ceasefire successful the Israel-Hamas warfare hangs successful the equilibrium and arsenic Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations implicit its atomic programme pursuing American airstrikes targeting its most-sensitive atomic sites during an Israeli warfare against the Islamic Republic. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu besides was travelling to Washington to conscionable with Mr. Trump.
Israeli strikes people Houthi-held ports
The Israeli subject said it struck Houthi-held ports astatine Hodeida, Ras Isa and Salif, arsenic good arsenic the Ras Kanatib powerfulness plant.
“These ports are utilized by the Houthi violent authorities to transportation weapons from the Iranian regime, which are employed to transportation retired violent operations against the authorities of Israel and its allies,” the Israeli subject said.
The Israeli subject besides said it struck the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle-carrying vas that the Houthis seized backmost successful November 2023 erstwhile they began their attacks successful the Red Sea corridor implicit the Israel-Hamas war.
“Houthi forces installed a radar strategy connected the vessel and person been utilizing it to way vessels successful the planetary maritime arena to facilitate further violent activities,” the Israeli subject said.
The Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader was affiliated with an Israeli billionaire. It said nary Israelis were connected board. The vessel had been operated by a Japanese steadfast NYK Line.
The Houthis acknowledged the strikes, but offered nary harm appraisal from the attack. Their subject spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, claimed its aerial defence forces “effectively confronted” the Israelis without offering evidence.
Israel has repeatedly atacked Houthi areas successful Yemen, including a naval onslaught successful June. Both Israel and the United States person struck ports successful the country successful the past — including an American onslaught that killed 74 radical successful April — but Israel is present acting unsocial successful attacking the rebels arsenic they proceed to occurrence missiles astatine Israel.
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened further strikes.
“What's existent for Iran is existent for Yemen,” Mr. Katz said successful a statement. “Anyone who raises a manus against Israel volition person it chopped off. The Houthis volition proceed to wage a dense terms for their actions.”
The Houthis past responded with an evident rocket onslaught connected Israel. The Israeli subject said it attempted to intercept the missile, but it appeared to marque impact, though determination were nary contiguous reports of injuries. Sirens sounded successful the West Bank and on the Dead Sea.
Ship onslaught forces unit to wantonness vessel
The onslaught connected the Magic Seas, a bulk bearer heading northbound to Egypt's Suez Canal, happened immoderate 100 kilometres (60 miles) southwest of Hodeida, Yemen, which is held by the Houthis. The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre archetypal said that an equipped information squad connected the vas had returned occurrence against an archetypal onslaught of gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, though the vas aboriginal was struck by projectiles.
Ambrey, a backstage maritime information firm, issued an alert saying that a merchant vessel had been “attacked by 8 skiffs portion transiting northbound successful the Red Sea.”
Ambrey aboriginal said the vessel besides had been attacked by bomb-carrying drone boats, which could beryllium a large escalation. It said 2 drone boats struck the ship, portion different 2 had been destroyed by the equipped guards connected board.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said the vessel was taking connected h2o and its unit had abandoned the vessel. They were rescued by a passing ship, it added.
The U.S. Navy's Mideast-based 5th Fleet referred questions to the military's Central Command, which said it was alert of the incidental without elaborating.
Moammar al-Eryani, the Information Minister for Yemen's exiled authorities opposing the Houthis, identified the vas attacked arsenic the Magic Seas and blamed the rebels for the attack. The vessel had been broadcasting it had an equipped information squad connected committee successful the vicinity the onslaught took spot and had been heading north.
“The onslaught besides proves erstwhile again that the Houthis are simply a beforehand for an Iranian strategy utilizing Yemen arsenic a level to undermine determination and planetary stability, astatine a clip erstwhile Tehran continues to limb the militia and supply it with subject technology, including missiles, aircraft, drones, and oversea mines,” Mr. al-Eryani wrote connected the societal level X.
The Magic Seas' owners did not respond to a petition for comment.
Houthi attacks came implicit Israel-Hamas war
The Houthi rebels person been launching rocket and drone attacks against commercialized and subject ships successful the portion successful what the group's enactment has described arsenic an effort to extremity Israel's violative against Hamas successful the Gaza Strip.
The group's al-Masirah outer quality transmission acknowledged the onslaught occurred, but offered nary different remark connected it arsenic it aired a code by its secretive leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi. However, Ambrey said the Magic Seas met “the established Houthi people profile,” without elaborating.
Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted much than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking 2 of them and sidesplitting 4 sailors. Their run has greatly reduced the travel of commercialized done the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees $1 trillion of goods determination done it annually. Shipping done the Red Sea, portion inactive little than normal, has accrued successful caller weeks.
The Houthis paused attacks until the U.S. launched a wide battle against the rebels successful mid-March. That ended weeks aboriginal and the Houthis haven't attacked a vessel, though they person continued occasional rocket attacks targeting Israel. On Sunday, the radical claimed launching an earlier rocket astatine Israel which the Israeli subject said it intercepted.
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