Israeli strike on Yemeni port caused $20 million in damage, official says

The rebel group said nine people were killed in the retaliatory strike — the first attack ever claimed by Israel on Yemen.

The strike, carried out by dozens of Israeli aircraft, targeted fuel reports and the port’s energy infrastructure, as well as four large container cranes. Israel said the port in general, and the cranes specifically, were used to import Iranian weapons.

Speaking to AFP on Sunday from the harbor after operations resumed last week, port official Nasr al-Nusairi relayed the results of a preliminary damage assessment, saying two of the cranes were destroyed, a small vessel was burnt and a number of buildings were torched.

“There is also damage to the docks,” said Nusairi, the vice president of the Yemen Red Sea Ports Corporation, which runs the Hodeida harbor.