Israeli airstrikes target cities in Lebanon, Yemen
Syrian refugee woman living with others in makeshift tents in south Lebanon, hugs her child after an Israeli air strike targeted the outskirt of town of Burj al-Muluk, on July 20, 2024. (AFP Photo)
Israeli airstrikes on the Al Hudaydah port in western Yemen have left at least two people dead and 80 others injured, according to Houthi-affiliated sources.
“The crime of the Israeli enemy targeting Al Hudaydah governorate has killed two people and injured 80 others, most of them with severe burns,” stated the Houthi-affiliated Health Ministry, as reported by the group’s SABA news agency. The Al-Masirah broadcaster reported that the airstrikes targeted oil storage facilities at the port and aired images of massive fires that it claimed erupted following the strikes.
An unnamed US official was quoted by the Israeli website Walla, stating, “The Israeli Air Force attacked targets in the city of Al Hudaydah in Yemen.” The Israeli army confirmed the airstrikes, stating that its warplanes had targeted Houthi positions in response to hundreds of attacks against Israel over the past few months. The Houthis have targeted Israeli-owned, flagged, operated, or bound ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones in solidarity with Gaza.
Cross-Border Escalations in Lebanon
The situation in Lebanon also saw a dramatic escalation as Israeli airstrikes targeted an ammunition depot in Adloun, a town deep in southern Lebanon, on Saturday evening after Yemen. According to Lebanese official media, the strike lightly injured three people and caused rockets to explode, interrupting traffic on a nearby highway.
“The raid on the town of Adloun targeted an ammunition depot,” Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported, noting that shrapnel from the explosions reached surrounding villages. Earlier, the NNA reported that Syrian nationals, including children, were injured after an “enemy drone targeted an empty four-wheel drive” near their tent close to the border. Doctor Mouenes Kalakesh, head of the Marjayoun government hospital, confirmed the admission of a woman and her three children for shrapnel injuries, with one child in critical condition.
Hezbollah, which has been involved in near-daily cross-border exchanges with Israeli forces, announced that it had launched “dozens of Katyusha rockets” at Dafna in Israel’s north, targeting the area for the first time in response to attacks on civilians. Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, also claimed responsibility for firing rockets from south Lebanon toward an Israeli military position in the Upper Galilee.
Later, Hezbollah stated that it had deployed “explosive-laden drones” targeting Israeli artillery and missile positions, as well as Iron Dome platforms, in the Golan Heights. The Israeli army reported that a total of 45 projectiles were fired from Lebanon on Saturday afternoon, with no casualties reported.
Israeli and regional responses
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attributed the recent attacks to the Houthis, calling them an “inseparable part of Iran’s axis of evil.” Netanyahu thanked the United States and other allies for their support in thwarting the attacks and emphasized Israel’s determination to protect its sovereignty. Since the onset of violence in October, at least 515 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 104 civilians, according to an AFP tally. On the Israeli side, the conflict has resulted in the deaths of 18 soldiers and 13 civilians.
The Houthis have declared their intention to continue targeting Israel with their new “Yafa” drones, which they claim are undetectable by radar and immune to air defense systems. Following a recent drone attack near the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed to respond decisively.
As hostilities continue, the region remains on high alert, with both sides bracing for further escalations.
