JERUSALEM/SANAA/ADEN, Yemen - Israel launched a series of airstrikes on Yemen's Red Sea ports in western Hodeidah province late Sunday night.

The strikes came minutes after the Israeli military issued an urgent evacuation warning on the social media platform X. Witnesses reported explosions in several locations along Yemen's western coast, including the port of Hodeidah.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that the strikes targeted what he described as Houthi strongholds, including the ports of Hodeidah, As Salif, and Ras Isa, the Ras Katib power station, and the Galaxy Leader, a ship seized by Houthi forces in November 2023.

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The Israeli military said the targeted ports had been used by the Houthis to "transfer weapons from the Iranian regime, which are then used to carry out terror operations against the State of Israel and its allies."

It added that the Galaxy Leader had been equipped with a radar system used to track vessels in the Red Sea, facilitating further militant activities.

Katz suggested a broader escalation may follow, saying, "Yemen will be treated the same as Teheran."

"Anyone who tries to harm Israel will be harmed, and anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have it cut off," Katz said. "The Houthis will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions."

Earlier on Sunday, a missile fired by Houthi forces triggered air raid sirens in southern Israel and was intercepted without causing injuries, according to the Israeli military. The Houthis claimed it was a hypersonic missile targeting Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv.

Israel has carried out several strikes on key ports and infrastructure in Yemen in recent months, as the Houthis continue to fire missiles toward Israel, citing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

More attacks on Israel

Houthis on Sunday reaffirmed the group's support for the Palestinian people and its hostility toward Israel and the United States.

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Speaking on the occasion of Ashura, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi said the group will "spare no effort in confronting the enemy with our brothers in the axis of resistance and Jihad."

The group has been targeting Israel with long-range drones and ballistic missiles since November 2023 to show solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

Red Sea strike

A Liberian-flagged commercial vessel came under attack Sunday by Houthi forces using explosive-laden boats while transiting the Red Sea off Yemen's port city of Hodeidah, a Yemeni government official told Xinhua.

The bulk carrier Magic Seas, with a crew of 23 aboard, was initially approached by four boats carrying Houthi gunmen who demanded the vessel change course toward Houthi-controlled ports, a local senior official of Yemen's pro-government naval forces said on condition of anonymity.

When the ship's crew refused to comply with the demands, a brief firefight erupted between the armed militants and the vessel's security team, the official said.

The commercial ship continued on its original course, but at approximately 2:25 pm local time (1125 GMT), it came under assault by four Houthi explosive-laden boats. Two of the explosive boats successfully struck the ship's hull and detonated, while the remaining two exploded before reaching their target.

The fertilizer-carrying vessel sustained significant structural damage in the attack and is now immobilized and on fire in Red Sea waters. Despite the severity of the assault, no crew members were reported injured, according to the official.

Earlier in the day, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in a statement posted on social media platform X that a merchant vessel was attacked by several armed small boats approximately 51 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah.

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The small boats used small arms and rocket-propelled grenades to attack the merchant vessel, and armed personnel onboard the vessel returned fire, the UKMTO said.

The UKMTO has issued a navigational warning urging all vessels transiting the area to exercise extreme caution and report any suspicious activity immediately.