Despite major strike, Houthis target Israel with new drone attack

Though the drone was shot down, hopes are not high for the end of attacks.

By YONAH JEREMY BOB JANUARY 13, 2025 11:50 Updated: JANUARY 13, 2025 11:52

Footage released by Houthi Military Media says to show a launch of missile, which the Houthis say they fired at Israel, at an unknown location in this screen grab obtained from a handout video released on December 19, 2024. (photo credit: HOUTHI MILITARY MEDIA/via REUTERS)

Yemen's Houthis attacked Israel again on Monday with a drone despite a major joint strike by the US, UK, and Israel against them on Friday.

Air Force defense systems intercepted the drone at an undisclosed location in southern Israel on Monday morning without sounding alert sirens, suggesting that there had been confidence that the threat would be contained, the military announced.

There had been some hope that the combination of multiple more aggressive US attacks on the Houthis earlier last week, along with the joint attack on Friday - the largest of its kind against the Houthis since the start of the war - might finally deter the Houthis from attacking Israel.

Monday's drone attack seemed to pour cold water on those hopes, though a drone is a lesser threat than a ballistic missile, and the Houthis have not fired a ballistic missile on Israel since January 5. 

For Israel, the joint Friday attack was the fifth counterattack on Yemen’s Houthis since July with the group having spent around a year attacking Israel.

Two Israeli F-16I Soufa (Storm) jets on the way to strike Yemen, January 12, 2025. (credit: IDF SPOKESMAN’S UNIT)

Regarding the US and England, they have launched more attacks on the Houthis, but their two rounds of attacks on the Iranian proxy earlier last week, combined with the joint attack with Jerusalem on Friday, marked a significant escalation.

Until now, the problem for Israel and for the West has been that despite superior firepower versus the Houthis, the Yemen group has not been deterred and has been willing to endure even disproportionate counterstrikes so that in can “stay in the game” against Israel in the war with Hamas and continue to cause trouble for global maritime trade for the West, viewed as supportive of Israel.

What did Israel strike in Yemen?

The targets Israel struck on Friday included military infrastructure sites at Hezyaz power station and military infrastructure in the Hodeidah and Ras Issa ports on the Western coast.

An informed source told The Jerusalem Post that during US Central Command (CENTCOM) deputy commander Brad Cooper's most recent visit to Israel, it was discussed that Jerusalem and Washington would coordinate efforts in handling the Houthi threat.

Another source confirmed the strike was coordinated with the American-British coalition, which attacked certain targets - and at the same time, Israel attacked other targets. There was no cooperation in the attack on the targets themselves, but each party struck different targets.

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According to the source, how the "work" will be "split" between Israel and the coalition was relatively clear.

The coalition was expected to attack weapons facilities, control and command bases, and underground places, while Israel strikes the Houthis' economic facilities - which have military and civilian use such as ports, airports, power plants, etc.

More than 20 Israeli aircraft partook in the strikes, with around 50 munitions being dropped on terror targets in Yemen.

Airstrikes on Yemen's port of Ras Issa on Friday targeted oil storage facilities in the vicinity of the shipping berths, and no merchant vessels were reported to have been damaged, British security firm Ambrey said.

According to reports, the 12 strikes north of the capital were conducted by the US and UK on underground infrastructure belonging to the Houthis.

A strike also reportedly hit Sana'a's main square during the weekly Friday protests in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. 

Some six strikes also reportedly targeted the port of Hodeidah.

Israel last struck Houthi targets in December, attacking ports and energy infrastructure in Sana'a.

The Houthis have fired over 200 ballistic missiles and over 320 drones at Israel over the course of the war with around 40 of those missiles getting close enough to Israel that the Jewish state had to shoot them down.

Amichai Stein, Danielle Greyman-Kennard, Jerusalem Post Staff, and Reuters contributed to this report.