Israel 'severely damages' Yemen ports in new strikes
Live updates: Follow the latest on Trump's Gulf trip Israel launched strikes on Yemen on Friday, which it said had "severely damaged" Houthi-controlled ports, hours after US President Donald Trump departed the region. The Israeli military said it "struck and dismantled terrorist infrastructure" at the ports of Hodeidah and Salif, which it said were being used to transfer weapons. The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said there were "violent raids" at the ports. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Israel and the Iran-backed Houthis have exchanged several rounds of strikes, with Sanaa's international airport knocked out of action after the Yemeni rebels landed a missile near Israel's Ben Gurion Airport. "If the Houthis continue to fire missiles at the state of Israel, they will suffer painful blows," said Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz. He said rebel leader Abdul-Malik Al Houthi could be the next top militant "eliminated" by Israel after the killings of Hamas and Hezbollah chiefs. "Just as we did to Deif and the Sinwars in Gaza, to Nasrallah in Beirut, and to Haniyeh in Tehran ... we will also hunt down and eliminate Abd Malek al-Houthi in Yemen," Mr Katz said, referring to some of the militant leaders killed by Israel. Mr Trump's administration announced a ceasefire with the Houthis this month, after a campaign of US strikes to halt attacks from Yemen on Red Sea shipping. Israel was not part of the ceasefire deal. Analysts have noted that Mr Trump's Middle East visit highlighted differences between the US and Israel, including in their approach to Syria and Iran. The president did not stop in Israel on his three-country tour. It was left to Mr Trump's Secretary of State Marco Rubio to reassure Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a call that the US still has a "deep commitment" to their relationship. While in Riyadh, Mr Trump encouraged Saudi Arabia to establish ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords.
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