On Tuesday, September 16, 2025, the simmering conflict between Israel and Yemen’s Houthi militia erupted once again, as Israeli warplanes struck targets at the strategic Hudaydah port on Yemen’s Red Sea coast. The Israeli military announced the operation, claiming it was aimed at disrupting the flow of Iranian weaponry through the port—a facility it says the Houthis have transformed into a hub for arms transfers used in attacks against Israel and its allies.
The Houthi-linked broadcaster al-Masirah TV reported at least 12 airstrikes hitting the port’s dock, a vital artery for Yemen’s imports of food and medicine. Local sources, according to Reuters, said that dozens of civilians were killed in the bombardment, which targeted three docks recently rebuilt after earlier strikes. The devastation, according to aid groups and port authorities, threatens to further cripple the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian supplies to a country already facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The Israeli military’s Arabic-speaking spokesman, Avichay Adraee, had issued an urgent evacuation warning earlier in the day, cautioning, “Anyone remaining in the area is putting their lives in danger.” The warning underscored the seriousness of the operation and the risks for civilians caught in the crossfire. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz later stated that the air force had bombed Hudaydah port “to ensure the continuation of the naval and aerial siege of the Houthi terrorist organization.” He added pointedly, “The Houthis will continue to absorb blows and will pay painful prices for any attempt to attack Israel.”
The strikes came just days after the Houthis, an Iran-backed group that has controlled large swathes of Yemen—including the capital Sanaa—since 2014, launched a missile at Israel’s Ramon Airport near Eilat, injuring two people. On the same day as the port attack, Israel also reported intercepting another missile fired from Yemen. In the words of Israel Katz, the latest round of airstrikes was meant to send a clear message that further aggression would be met with forceful retaliation.
For their part, the Houthis claimed to have mounted a robust defense. Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesman, asserted on social media, “The air defenses caused significant confusion to the enemy aircraft and forced some of its combat formations to leave the airspace before carrying out its aggression, and its entry into the depth was foiled, by the grace of God.” Though Saree provided no evidence for the claim, he insisted that the Houthis’ air defenses had blunted the Israeli assault.
The Israeli military has long accused the Houthis of acting as a regional proxy for Iran, using Hudaydah port as a transit point for weapons smuggled from Tehran. According to the Israel Defense Forces, the port “is used for the transfer of weapons supplied by the Iranian regime, in order to execute attacks against Israel and its allies.” The IDF’s official social media channels broadcast images of the strikes and reiterated their intent to continue targeting what they described as “military infrastructure” in Yemen.
Over the past year, both the United States and Israel have expanded their military campaign against the Houthis, with the port city of Hudaydah and its surrounding roads suffering repeated bombardment. The infrastructure damage has been extensive, with much of the port—already battered by years of war—now in ruins. For Yemen’s civilian population, the consequences have been dire: the port is one of the main entry points for food, fuel, and medicine into a country where millions depend on aid to survive.
Israel’s campaign against the Houthis has intensified in recent months. Last week, Israeli forces struck the Yemeni capital Sanaa, targeting a building that housed the Houthis’ media division. The attack, along with strikes in al-Jawf province, killed at least 46 people, according to Houthi statements. Among the casualties, 31 journalists reportedly lost their lives in a single attack, drawing condemnation from press freedom groups and raising questions about the toll on non-combatants.
The escalation follows a pattern of tit-for-tat violence that began in earnest after October 7, 2023, when Hamas led a surprise attack against Israel. In solidarity with Hamas, the Houthis began launching missiles and drones at Israeli targets. They also stepped up attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea—a vital trade route leading to the Suez Canal—in an effort to pressure Israel and its Western allies over the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The United States has responded with its own strikes on Houthi targets, seeking to protect international shipping and contain the regional fallout.
Late last month, Israel’s campaign reached a dramatic peak when an airstrike in Sanaa killed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and several members of his cabinet. The assassination of such high-ranking officials was widely seen as a major blow to the Houthi leadership, but it also fueled fears of further escalation and reprisals. In the immediate aftermath, the Houthis vowed to continue their resistance, promising to retaliate for the loss of their leaders.
As the violence has spiraled, the civilian cost has mounted. Local reports from Hudaydah and other Houthi-held areas indicate that scores of civilians have been killed in the latest rounds of airstrikes, with infrastructure destruction compounding the misery of a population already battered by years of war, famine, and disease. Humanitarian agencies warn that the destruction of port facilities in Hudaydah could tip parts of Yemen closer to famine, as aid deliveries become even more difficult.
The international community has watched the latest escalation with growing alarm. While Israel insists its actions are necessary to defend against missile and drone attacks, critics argue that the strikes risk deepening Yemen’s humanitarian disaster and entangling Israel further in a complex regional conflict. The Houthis, for their part, continue to portray themselves as defenders of Palestinian rights and as part of a broader axis of resistance against Israel and its Western backers.
Meanwhile, ordinary Yemenis find themselves caught in the middle, their lives upended by a conflict that shows no sign of abating. With Hudaydah’s port and roads in ruins, and the threat of further strikes looming, the prospect of relief seems as distant as ever. As one aid worker put it, “Every time the bombs fall, it’s the people who suffer most.”
With both sides vowing to press on, the battered docks of Hudaydah stand as a stark reminder of how regional rivalries and global geopolitics can devastate local communities, leaving civilians to pay the highest price.
