BICOM

What’s happened: On Saturday, Israel responded to last Friday’s fatal Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv by attacking the Yemeni port of Hodeida with F-15, F-16, and F-35 bombers, setting oil and gas depots on fire and disrupting port activity.

• The operation was codenamed “Long Arm”, a reflection of the fact that Israeli planes had to travel over 1,800 kilometres to reach Yemen – longer even than the journey to Tehran.
• The approximately 20 planes involved in the mission required mid-air refuelling and flew at low altitude to avoid enemy radar. Israeli naval vessels in the Red Sea provided cover.
• The attack, which took place under the US CENTCOM umbrella, and is likely to have involved some level of coordination with both Egypt and Saudi Arabia, is thought to have reduced the Hodeida port’s fuel storage capacity from 150,000 tonnes to 50,000.
• IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said about Operation Long Arm: “We attacked the area of the port because it is a supply route to deliver Iranian arms from Iran to Yemen.” He added: “This was a complex attack, one of the longest-distance and longest-range attacks ever to be carried out by the Israel Air Force. It required meticulous planning and preparations for a range of possible threats in the area.”
• Defence Minister Gallant said, “The fire that is now burning in Hodeida can be seen across the entire Middle East, and that has clear implications. The Houthis attacked us more than 200 times. The first time they hurt an Israeli citizen, we hit them and we will do that in every place that doing so is necessary.”
• Prime Minister Netanyahu put the attack in the wider context of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” and the threat it poses both to Israel and the world: “This axis is operating not only against Israel,” he said. “It threatens the wellbeing of the entire world. And Israel expects the international community to intensify its efforts against Iran and its proxies to curb Iran’s aggression and to defend international freedom of sailing. Anyone who wants to see a stable and safe Middle East needs to stand up to Iran’s axis of evil and to support Israel’s struggle against Iran and its proxies.”
• On Sunday, the Houthis retaliated by launching multiple ballistic missiles towards the southern Israeli city of Eilat. Israel’s long-range Arrow 3 defence system intercepted one missile outside of Israeli airspace. While sirens sounded in Eilat, there were no reports on impact in the area.
• Friday’s drone attack on Tel Aviv was the latest act of Houthi aggression against Israel. In the last nine months, the Yemeni groups has fired over 220 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones, mostly at Eilat.
• The attack, by an Iranian-made Samad-3 drone, killed Tel Aviv resident Yevgeny Ferder, 50, the first time an Israeli civilian had been killed by a Houthi strike. Eight others were taken to hospital with injuries. The IDF said that the drone had been tracked from Yemen to Israel but was not engaged by air defences due to human error.

Context: The Israeli attack came as a direct response to Friday’s drone attack, but this was also the first Israeli strike on Yemen since they have launched over 200 missiles and drones towards Israel since October.

• Since October 7^th, under Iranian direction the Houthis have both targeted Israel directly but also Israel-affiliated vessels in the Red Sea. Over 200 attacks have been launched on international vessels, with the disruption to international shipping significantly impacting several economies. With vessels having to divert routes, Egypt, for example, is losing a significant amount of traffic which would usually travel through the Suez Canal.
• In response to this targeting, the US and UK have attacked Houthi military infrastructure, in a bid to defend global shipping and trade. Despite US and UK efforts, Houthi attacks have persisted. There is hope that Israel targeting key infrastructure may have more of a deterrent effect.
• Unlike strikes against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in the north which focus on military targets, this operation deliberately targeted the Houthis’ port and infrastructure.
• The strike was carried out in the daytime to further highlight the Israeli decision to strike. By targeting the oil storage, it ensured the dramatic images of the fires raging were seen into the night.
• The IDF had planned for an operation of this nature for months, having simulated the requisite length of flight and refuelling over the Mediterranean. However, the quick turnaround to carry out the attack a day a half after the drone struck Tel Aviv is an impressive operational accomplishment.
• This serves to further rehabilitate the image of the IDF and send a warning to Iran over the ability to carry out complex missions 1,800km away from Israel.
• The IDF struck 10 targets, along with the oil reserves, the port was also targeted as the main site for the importing and unloading of Iranian weapons. It is possible that the targets also included weapons storage, but this has not been confirmed.
• While Israeli officials have emphasised that Israel conducted this operation on its own, it would have coordinated the flight path with allies in the region including Egypt and Saudi Arabia as they flew close to their airspace. This is the latest advantageous example of Israel being part of US CENTCOM, which aids regional coordination.
• The strike can also be perceived as a warning to Hezbollah that Lebanese state infrastructure could be targeted if escalation in the north persists.
• In the short term, the operation elicited criticism from northern residents who have been under constant attack for months and have been calling on the government to respond more forcefully. It gave the perception that a strike on Tel Aviv carries more weight than those in the north.
• Israeli officials, however, pointed out that it was the accumulative attacks emanating from the Houthis which caused Israel to take action, and that the response would have been similar if the fatality had been in Eilat or elsewhere.
• Hezbollah’s threat is of a much greater order of magnitude, and due to Lebanon’s proximity to Israel, many more factors need to be taken into consideration before Lebanese infrastructure is targeted.

Looking ahead: The Houthis have said that they intend to continue its attacks against Israel. Over the weekend, spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam tell Al Jazeera there would be “no red lines… All sensitive institutions with all… levels will be a target for us.”

• It is the Israeli hope that the damage to the port will impede the Houthis efforts to import Iranian weapons