Israel has conducted air strikes on the Houthi-controlled Red Sea port of Hodeidah in Yemen, following a drone attack on Tel Aviv by the group. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated the strikes aimed to send a clear message to the Houthi movement.

“The fire currently burning in Hodeidah is seen across the Middle East, and the significance is clear,” Gallant declared.

Houthi-linked news outlets reported three fatalities and over 80 injuries from the Saturday strikes. Houthi official Mohammed Abdulsalam condemned the action as a “brutal Israeli aggression against Yemen.”

On Sunday morning, the Israeli military intercepted a missile from Yemen before it entered Israeli airspace. Air sirens were activated in Israel’s Red Sea port of Eilat due to the potential for falling shrapnel.

Abdulsalam claimed that the Israeli strikes aimed to pressure the Houthis to cease supporting Palestinians in Gaza, which he asserted would not happen.

This marks the first time Israel has directly responded to what it claims are hundreds of Yemeni drone and missile attacks in recent months.

Footage from Hodeidah showed massive fires on Saturday evening. The Houthi-run government in Sanaa stated that Israel targeted oil storage facilities near the shore and a nearby power plant.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement: “After nine months of continuous aerial attacks by the Houthis in Yemen toward Israel, IAF [Israeli Air Force] fighter jets conducted an extensive operational strike over 1,800km [1,118 miles] away against Houthi terrorist military targets” in the Hodeidah port area. The operation was codenamed Outstretched Arm.

“The IDF is capable of operating anywhere required and will strike any force that endangers Israelis,” the statement added.

Gallant emphasized the rationale for the strikes: “The Houthis attacked us over 200 times. The first time they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do this in any place where it may be required.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking on Saturday evening after the attacks, affirmed Israel’s resolve to defend itself “by all means.”

“Anyone who harms us will pay a very heavy price for their aggression,” Netanyahu said in a televised address, noting the port’s role as an entry point for Iranian weapons. He added that the strikes demonstrated Israel’s capability to reach any location where its enemies are based.