On May 16, 2025, the Israel Air Force (IDF) carried out a series of airstrikes on the ports of Salif and Hodeida in the Hodeida province on the west coast of Yemen, which is controlled by the Houthis of the Ansar Allah movement, the Yemeni Al Masirah television channel, reported. The attacks were the latest stage in the escalation of the conflict between Israel and the Houthis, who have stepped up missile and drone strikes on Israeli territory in response to military operations in the Gaza Strip. According to Reuters, the strikes on the ports followed an IDF warning calling on residents to leave the sites, which Israel claims are used for “terrorist activity” and the transportation of Iranian weapons.

According to Al Arabiya, the attacks damaged infrastructure facilities, including warehouses and docks in the ports of Hodeidah and Salif, located on the Red Sea coast. The exact number of casualties has not yet been confirmed, but the Houthis reported "significant damage" and several wounded. Earlier, on May 7, Israeli aircraft completely disabled Sana'a International Airport, destroying the control tower and three Yemenia Airlines planes, and also struck the Dahban power plant and a cement factory in Baghdad, as reported by AFP. These actions were a response to the Houthis' rocket attack on Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on May 4, which injured several people.

Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have repeatedly said the campaign against the Houthis is “just beginning.” Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, according to The Times of Israel, stressed that the strikes are aimed at stopping “unceasing attacks” by the Houthis, who have been attacking Israel and shipping in the Red Sea since October 2023 in solidarity with Hamas. The Houthis, for their part, have promised a “painful response,” with their spokesman Yahya Saria saying the group will continue attacks until Israel halts operations in Gaza.