WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — The United States was not involved, nor did it coordinate or assist Israel with airstrikes on the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen on Saturday, the White House National Security Council said in a statement to NewsNation.
“We fully recognize and acknowledge Israel’s right to self-defense,” it added.
The Israel Defense Forces announced its fighter jets had struck Houthi “military targets” in the area of the Al Hudaydah Port in Yemen – which serves as an entryway for Iranian weapons – in retaliation to the “hundreds of attacks” against Israel in recent months.
“To Israel’s enemies… do not doubt Israel’s determination to defend itself on every front. All those who seek to harm us will pay a very heavy price for their aggression,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message immediately following the blast.
A Houthi spokesman wrote on social media that Israel’s “brutal aggression” targeted fuel storage facilities and a power plant in the city of Hodeidah, noting that these attacks “will not stop their operations in support of our brothers in Gaza.”
On Friday, a drone launched by Houthi fighters in Yemen successfully hit Tel Aviv, killing one person and injuring several others. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed the country would “settle the score.”
In a statement after Israel’s strikes, Gallant said “the Houthis attacked us over 200 times. The first time that they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do this in any place where it may be required.”
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, the Houthis – in solidarity with Hamas in their fight against Israel – have upended global shipping in the Red Sea by attacking vessels with drones and missiles.
Within the last twenty-four hours, U.S. Central Command reported that its forces had destroyed one Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) over the Red Sea.
A White House official said President Joe Biden – who is self-isolating in Delaware after testing positive for Covid – received a briefing on the “developments” in the Middle East from his deputy national security adviser Jon Finer.
