Israel launches airstrikes targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels, and Houthis
launch missile at Israel
[July 07, 2025]
By JON GAMBRELL
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel’s military launched airstrikes
early Monday targeting ports and facilities held by Yemen’s Houthi
rebels, with the rebels responding with missile fire targeting Israel.
The attacks came after an attack Sunday targeting a Liberian-flagged
ship in the Red Sea that caught fire and took on water, later forcing
its crew to abandon the vessel.
Suspicion for the attack on the Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Seas
immediately fell on the Houthis, particularly as a security firm said
bomb-carrying drone boats appeared to hit the ship after it was targeted
by small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. The rebels’ media reported
on the attack but did not claim it. It can take them days sometimes
before they acknowledge an assault.
A renewed Houthi campaign against shipping could again draw in U.S. and
Western forces to the area, particularly after President Donald Trump
targeted the rebels in a major airstrike campaign.
The ship attack comes at a sensitive moment in the Middle East, as a
possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war hangs in the balance and as
Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear program
following American airstrikes targeting its most sensitive atomic sites
during an Israeli war against the Islamic Republic. Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also was traveling to Washington to meet
with Trump.
Israeli strikes target Houthi-held ports
The Israeli military said it struck Houthi-held ports at Hodeida, Ras
Isa and Salif, as well as the Ras Kanatib power plant. It released
footage showing an F-16 launching from Israel for the strike, which came
after the Israeli military issued a warning for the area.
“These ports are used by the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons
from the Iranian regime, which are employed to carry out terrorist
operations against the state of Israel and its allies,” the Israeli
military said.
The Israeli military also said it struck the Galaxy Leader, a
vehicle-carrying vessel that the Houthis seized back in November 2023
when they began their attacks in the Red Sea corridor over the
Israel-Hamas war.
“Houthi forces installed a radar system on the ship and have been using
it to track vessels in the international maritime arena to facilitate
further terrorist activities,” the Israeli military said.
The Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader was affiliated with an Israeli
billionaire. It said no Israelis were on board. The ship had been
operated by a Japanese firm NYK Line.
The Houthis acknowledged the strikes, but offered no damage assessment
from the attack. Their military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree,
claimed its air defense forces “effectively confronted” the Israelis
without offering evidence.
Israel has repeatedly attacked Houthi areas in Yemen, including a naval
strike in June. Both Israel and the United States have struck ports in
the area in the past — including an American attack that killed 74
people in April — but Israel is now acting alone in attacking the rebels
as they continue to fire missiles at Israel.
Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to launch further
strikes.
“What’s true for Iran is true for Yemen,” Katz said in a statement.
“Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have it cut off. The
Houthis will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions.”
The Houthis then responded with an apparent missile attack on Israel.
The Israeli military said it attempted to intercept the two missiles
launched by the Houthis, but they appeared to make impact, though no
injuries have been reported. Sirens sounded in the West Bank and along
the Dead Sea.
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The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Magic Seas is seen in Ambelakia
Bay, Salamis Island, Greece, Aug. 9, 2022. (Nektarios Papadakis via
AP)
Saree on Monday claimed launching missiles and drones targeting
Israel in its attack.
“We are fully prepared for a sustained and prolonged confrontation,
to confront hostile warplanes and to counter attempts to break the
naval blockade imposed by our armed forces on the enemy,” Saree
said.
Ship attack forces crew to abandon vessel
The attack on the Magic Seas, a bulk carrier heading north to
Egypt's Suez Canal, happened some 100 kilometers (60 miles)
southwest of Hodeida, Yemen, which is held by the Houthis. The
British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center
first said that an armed security team on the vessel had returned
fire against an initial attack of gunfire and rocket-propelled
grenades, though the vessel later was struck by projectiles.
Ambrey, a private maritime security firm, said the Magic Seas also
had been attacked by bomb-carrying drone boats, which could be a
major escalation. It said two drone boats struck the ship, while
another two had been destroyed by the armed guards on board.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said the ship
was taking on water and its crew had abandoned the vessel. They were
rescued by a passing ship, it added.
Moammar al-Eryani, the information minister for Yemen’s exiled
government opposing the Houthis, identified the vessel attacked as
the Magic Seas and blamed the rebels. The ship had been broadcasting
it had an armed security team on board in the vicinity where the
attack took place and had been heading north.
“The attack also proves once again that the Houthis are merely a
front for an Iranian scheme using Yemen as a platform to undermine
regional and global stability, at a time when Tehran continues to
arm the militia and provide it with military technology, including
missiles, aircraft, drones, and sea mines,” al-Eryani wrote on the
social platform X.
The Magic Seas’ owners did not respond to a request for comment.
Houthi attacks came over the Israel-Hamas war
The Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks
against commercial and military ships in the region in what the
group’s leadership has described as an effort to end Israel’s
offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted more
than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of
them and killing four sailors. Their campaign has greatly reduced
the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees
$1 trillion of goods move through it annually. Shipping through the
Red Sea, while still lower than normal, has increased in recent
weeks.
The Houthis paused attacks until the U.S. launched a broad assault
against the rebels in mid-March. That ended weeks later and the
Houthis haven’t attacked a vessel, though they have continued
occasional missile attacks targeting Israel.
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