The IDF has issued an evacuation order for three ports in Yemen: Ras Issa Port, Hodaidah Port and Al-Salif Port. The ports are situated inside the Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen. Israel is expected to carry out airstrikes against all three locations.
Israel said the locations must be evacuated 'until further notice', stating that the ports are being used by Yemen's Ansarallah movement, also known as the Houthis, as a part of what Israel calls 'terror infrastructure'
While the ports of Ras Issa, Hodeidah and Al-Salif are located in Houthi-controlled areas, they are internationally designated as 'dual-use' infrastructure. The Yemeni civilian population is heavily dependent on the import of fuel, medicine and food coming in to the ports. Observers have repeatedly criticized Israel's targeting of dual-use infrastructure, citing major risks to the civilian population and a lack of solid evidence connecting the sea ports to 'terrorism'.
As of now, no Israeli airstrikes have been recorded against any of the evacuated locations, but this is expected to change in the coming hours.
The evacuation orders come amid a Houthi 'air blockade' on Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport. The Yemeni group says it is imposing this air blockade to put pressure on Israel, stating that Israel must allow the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and sign an immediate ceasefire to end the war. Alongside this air blockade, the Houthis are also continuing their Red Sea blockade against Israeli-linked commercial shipping.
Last week, Israel already bombed Sanaa International Airport in Yemen, after a Houthi missile struck near Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, leading to the suspension of flights and widescale disruptions.
President Trump announced earlier this week that the United States and Yemen had agreed on a ceasefire, which would include no more Houthi attacks on U.S. Navy vessels in exchange for an immediate stop to the U.S. bombing campaign on Yemen.
President Trump presented the deal with Yemen as a victory, but the move came amid increasing reports of high costs and low success rates. NBC News reported that the U.S. had spent more than $1 Billion USD on the Yemen campaign in just one month and three weeks, depleting American stockpiles. A U.S. official familiar with the operations against the Houthis confirmed the lack of success, stating: 'The administration was clearly looking for an off-ramp for this campaign. It just wasn't working'.
Notably, Israel was left out of the deal, with the U.S. Ambassador to Israel stating the following:
We don't need Israel's permission to conclude an agreement with the Houthis. If one of the 700,000 American citizens in Israel gets hurt, then we will respond, otherwise we have nothing to do with it.
Micke Huckabee, U.S. Ambassador to Israel
Israeli media entered crisis mode following the announcement, stating that the U.S. had 'betrayed' Israel and that Trump had thrown Netanyahu 'under the bus'.