Retaliatory strikes between Israel and Houthis latest in cycle of flaring regional tensions

Retaliatory strikes between Israel and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels could represent a “dangerous turning point,” experts say, as the war in the Gaza Strip continues to inflame regional tensions.

Retaliatory strikes between Israel and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels could represent a “dangerous turning point,” experts say, as the war in the Gaza Strip continues to inflame regional tensions.

Israel struck the Yemeni port city of Al Hudaydah, a Houthi stronghold, on Saturday in what appeared to be the country’s first strikes on Yemeni soil since the start of the war in Gaza in October. Fighter jets “struck military targets” in the area, according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces, “in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months.”

On Friday, a Houthi drone penetrated Israel’s air defense system, hitting an apartment building in Tel Aviv, one block from a U.S. Embassy branch office, killing one and injuring at least 10.

Al-Masirah TV, a Houthi-controlled media outlet, said the strikes by Israel on Saturday targeted oil facilities and a power station, and had caused deaths, injuries and widespread power cuts.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/retaliatory-strikes-israel-houthis-regional-tensions-rcna162882

---