Two of Israel’s navy missile boats, one of them a Sa’ar 6, fired two long-range precision missiles from hundreds of kilometers away at the Houthi port in Hodeidah on Tuesday at around 7 a.m., marking the first time during the Israel-Hamas War that the navy has attacked Yemen.

Despite this, the Houthis managed to fire yet another ballistic missile at central Israel at around 7:51 p.m., causing millions of Israelis to head to their safe rooms and bomb shelters.

The IDF said that it likely shot down the ballistic missile, as well as fired additional interceptors to destroy shrapnel from the missile after it exploded.

Generally, the Arrow 3 missile defense system is used to shoot down ballistic missiles, while the Iron Dome is used to shoot down short-range, simpler rockets from Gaza or in the North.

Regarding the Israel Navy’s attack on the Houthis on Tuesday morning, some of the Houthi targets that were struck were platforms for ships to anchor on within the port.

Airport staff stand near the debris of a destroyed plane at Sanaa International Airport, in Yemen, May 7, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)
Airport staff stand near the debris of a destroyed plane at Sanaa International Airport, in Yemen, May 7, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)
Further, the IDF said that the explosive power of sea-to-land missiles would leave a lasting mark and promote a different kind of deterrence than air-to-ground bombs.

Involving the navy is part of Israel’s broader strategy to deter foreign ships from using or approaching the port, given that naval vessels can remain in the area and strike repeatedly, much more easily than aircraft that have to attack and then immediately fly back, lest they run out of fuel.

In addition, the navy, given its capability to remain at sea for an extended period, can be more precise about the ideal operational moment to strike.

By contrast, an airstrike is planned in advance with some intelligence awareness of the coming hours, but with much less ability to time what will be occurring in the ports at the moment of a given airstrike.

The IDF said there will be more naval operations against the Houthis in the future, without specifying a time frame.In a warning late on Monday night, the IDF cited other ports that might be attacked in the near future.

No mention was made of using the naval forces against Iran.

Moreover, the IDF said that one quarter of the naval sailors involved in the operation were women, a new high for women serving in maritime combat operations.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the attack had imposed an effective blockade on Houthi ports since ships may be afraid of using these repeatedly attacked ports.

However, the IDF has told The Jerusalem Post that there is no intent to permanently station naval vessels off Yemen’s coast to impose a physical blockade like Israel has done in Gaza’s case.

The army had previously attacked Houthi assets at the Hodeidah Port from the air around 10 times, dating back to July 2024.

Despite these prior attacks, the Houthis have managed to continue to use aspects of the port in Hodeidah for terror purposes to advance attacks on Israel using ballistic missiles and drones, as they did later on Tuesday.

Since the start of the war, the Houthis have fired well over 400 ballistic missiles and drones at Israel, with Jerusalem not directly responding until an Israeli in Tel Aviv was killed by a Houthi drone in July 2024.

From that point on, the IDF has periodically launched airstrikes on Hodeidah, the Sanaa International Airport, and other ports and electrical facilities pertaining to the Houthis.

Yet, Israeli intelligence has told the Post that the Houthis are difficult to deter and that short of an end to the war or the Houthis’ Sunni opposition in Yemen toppling them from areas that they currently control, it will be hard to end Houthi firing on Israel completely.

Recent weeks have seen more frequent Houthi ballistic missile attacks on Israel than in some other periods of the war, despite more frequent Israeli aerial counterattacks.

One problem Jerusalem has now is that the US cut a separate deal with the Houthis not to attack American ships, but this did not address attacks on the Jewish state.

In other words, there is now far less American pressure on the Houthis for their attacks on Israel than there was at earlier points in the war, though for a few months in early 2025, the Trump administration had escalated attacks on the Houthis.

Earlier on Tuesday, an Israeli official confirmed to the Post that Israel did indeed attack in Yemen – even before the IDF’s message went out.

The strikes follow a statement from the military’s Arabic spokesperson late on Monday, posted on X/Twitter, urging the evacuation of the Houthi-controlled Yemeni ports of Ras Isa, Hodeidah, and Salif.

Accordingly, Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s spokesperson in Arabic, issued an evacuation notice for three seaports in Yemen, according to a X post on Monday night.

“Warning to all those present in the seaports controlled by the terrorist Houthi regime: [Evacuate] the Ras Isa Marine Terminal, the Hodeidah Port, and the Salif Port,” the post read.

“Due to the terrorist Houthi regime’s use of seaports for its terrorist activities, we urge all those present at these ports to evacuate and stay away from them for your own safety until further notice,” it said.

Previous Israeli attacks on Yemeni ports

On May 28, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the air force struck the Sanaa International Airport and destroyed the Houthis’ last remaining aircraft.

Fifteen fighter jets operated in daylight to disable two main ports in Yemen, after a long period of focused intelligence gathering. According to IDF estimates, the ports that were hit were not expected to return to full operation before a month had passed.

Amichai Stein and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this story.