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| War of the Iron Swords | |||||||
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| Part of Houthi involvement in the War of the Iron Swords | |||||||
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 Hezbollah | |||||||
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Supported by
 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Abdol Reza Shahlai | ||||||
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Operation Tzelilei HaKerem is an Israeli Air Force strike on the Sana'a International Airport in the capital of Yemen, carried out in response to the firing of ballistic missiles and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) toward Israel in the months leading up to the strike, and particularly in the preceding days. It took place as part of the Houthi involvement in the War of the Iron Swords.
Background
Since the outbreak of the War of the Iron Swords, the Houthis in Yemen have launched repeated attacks against the State of Israel. On 20 July 2024, Israel conducted Operation Long Arm to strike Houthi infrastructure in Al Hudaydah, Yemen, carrying out an aerial bombing of ammunition depots, oil storage facilities, power stations, and other military targets belonging to the Houthis in the port city of Al-Hudaydah. After the Houthis continued their attacks on Israel, Israel struck Yemen again in September 2024. When those attacks persisted, Israel launched Operation The White City in December 2024.
A few days later, following continued rocket and UAV fire toward Israel and an increase in launch frequency, Israel again struck in Yemen on 26 December—this time targeting the international airport in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a.
The strike
The strike, which took place on 26 December 2024, was carried out by 25 Israeli Air Force warplanes during a speech by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. According to the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news channel, the operation comprised seven strikes on the Sana'a International Airport, damaging the air traffic control tower and the runway, as well as three more strikes on Hudaydah Port and the Haziz and Ras Kantib power stations.
This was the largest strike carried out by Israel in Yemeni territory since the beginning of the Houthi involvement in the War of the Iron Swords, following three previous operations: Operation Long Arm, the September 2024 strike, and Operation The White City.
After the strike
Following the operation, sources in Israel’s defense establishment stated that the strike marks the start of a larger campaign against the Houthis.
The IDF raised the readiness level of its air defense systems and the Air Force, in anticipation of a possible Houthi response.
References
- "The patience is over: These are the targets of the Israeli strike in Yemen" (in Hebrew). Now14. 2024-12-26.
- "The patience is over: These are the targets of the Israeli strike in Yemen" (in Hebrew). Now14. 2024-12-26.
- "During the leader's speech > Yemen in flames: The IDF struck power stations and oil facilities in broad daylight" (in Hebrew). hm-news.co.il. 2024-12-26.