Israeli Air Force drones struck Yemen’s Houthi-controlled Hodeida port in response to the Iran-backed group’s continued attacks on Israel, the military said Monday.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the airstrikes destroyed “military infrastructure of the Houthi terror regime” at the western Yemen port, after attempts were made by the Houthis to repair areas previously targeted by Israel in response to missile and drone attacks.

Monday’s sortie marked the thirteenth time that Israel has attacked Yemen, located some 1,800 kilometers away.

Unlike previous attacks, Monday’s airstrikes did not involve dozens of fighter jets, refuelers, and spy planes. Rather, it was carried out by IAF drones, military officials told The Times of Israel.

It marked the first Israeli strikes on Yemen since July 7. In the interim, the Houthis have launched six ballistic missiles and at least two drones at Israel, attacks that caused no damage or injuries.

The targets in Monday’s bombardment included “engineering equipment working to restore port infrastructure, fuel tanks, and vessels used for military activity and [attacks] against the State of Israel and ships in the maritime area near the port,” the military said.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the IDF was “forcefully enforcing any attempt to restore the previously attacked terror infrastructure.”

The “fate of Yemen will be the same as Tehran,” he added, referring to Israel’s 12-day war against Iran last month.

“The Houthis will pay a heavy price for launching missiles at the State of Israel. We will continue to act at any time and in any place to defend the State of Israel,” Katz added.

The IDF said that the Hodeida port was used by the Houthis for terror activity, including importing weapons from Iran, and that the terror group was “exploiting the maritime zone for the use of force and to carry out terror attacks against passing vessels and global maritime trade.”

“The IDF identified continued activity and attempts by the Houthi terror regime’s forces to restore the terror infrastructure at the port; therefore, components used to advance this activity were targeted,” the military said.

The Houthis last attacked Israel on Friday night with a ballistic missile that was intercepted.

There was no immediate comment from the Houthis on Monday’s strikes.

The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas massacre.

Traffic through the Red Sea, a critical waterway for the world’s oil and commodities, has markedly dropped due to the targeting of ships, which the Houthis claim are linked to Israel.

The group, which agreed to a deal with the US in May to stop targeting American ships, appeared to step up attacks on maritime traffic earlier this month, destroying two ships and killing several sailors.

The Houthis held their fire when a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas in January 2025. By that point, they had fired over 40 ballistic missiles and dozens of attack drones and cruise missiles at Israel, including one that killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July, prompting Israel’s first strike in Yemen.

Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 62 ballistic missiles and at least 15 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.