THE Israeli Navy attacked the port of Hodeidah in the early hours of Tuesday, hours after the Israel Defense Forces issued an evacuation warning to the Houthi-held ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa, and Al Saleef.

While Israel has struck Hodeidah and the other Houthi ports several times since first attacking the Yemeni faction in July of 2024, including two aerial raids in May, Tuesday marked the first time the attacks were conducted by naval forces and not fighter jets.

“These strikes were conducted in response to repeated missile and unmanned aerial vehicle attacks on Israeli territory,” the IDF said in a statement on social media platform X.

“The Hodeidah Port is used to transfer weapons and to exploit civilian infrastructure in order to advance terrorist activities.”

There were three vessels berthed in Hodeidah at the time of the Israeli attacks, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence data. Houthi-aligned Yemen Press Agency noted the attack took places but provided no details on damage.

Citing the IDF, Israeli outlet Ha’aretz reported that the attack with missiles launched by from Sa’ar 6 corvettes that were located hundreds of kilometres away from Yemen’s shores.

The IDF issued a warning on X to “to all those present” in the Houthi-controlled ports of Hodeidah, Salif, and Ras Isa in the hours prior to the attacks, urging them to “evacuate and stay away” from the ports “until further notice”.

Israel attacks in May on Hodediah and Al Salif temporarily stopped commercial vessel traffic at both ports, but it has since been restored.