Tuesday 06 / May / 2025
Six air strikes targeted the port city of Hodeida on Yemen's western coast, the Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV reported, blaming the strikes on Israel and the United States.
In addition to the apparent bombing of the port, the media outlet also reported "US-Israeli aggression on the Bajil district" in the same province.
Israel later confirmed it had carried out strikes against Houthi rebels in Hodeida.
US-based news website Axios cited a senior US official as saying that Israel had attacked Yemen in coordination with Washington.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had vowed to retaliate against both Yemen's Houthi rebels and Iran following a missile strike on Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel's most populous city.
Netanyahu: Gaza population to be moved for 'its own protection'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that a new offensive in Gaza will be an intensive military operation aimed at defeating Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the German government, the EU, the US and some Arab states.
"Population will be moved, for its own protection," Netanyahu said in a video posted on X.
He also said Israeli soldiers won't go into Gaza, launch raids and then retreat. "The intention is the opposite of that," he said.
However, Netanyahu did not give any precise details about how much of Gaza's territory would be seized.
Israeli and international media had earlier reported that Israel's security Cabinet "unanimously approved" a plan to escalate Israel's military campaign in Gaza to defeat Hamas and secure the return of hostages.
EU urges Israel 'to hold back' amid reported plans to take over Gaza
Both Berlin and the entire European Union expressed concerns over reports suggesting that Israel was preparing to take over the Palestinian Gaza Strip indefinitely.
"Gaza belongs to the Palestinians," a spokesman said in Berlin, calling the reports of the Israeli decision "worrying."
The spokesperson reiterated the 2023 rejection of the G7 economic group, of which Germany is a member, of the "occupation, colonization and reduction of the territory of Gaza."
The EU also said it was "concerned" by the reports.
"The EU urges for Israel to hold back," said an EU spokesman in Brussels, repeating the bloc's position "that negotiation is the only method, the only way forward for the return of hostages and the ceasing of all hostilities."
The bloc's spokesman also called on Israel to lift its blockade on Gaza, which the UN has warned is triggering the worst humanitarian crisis since the war started in October 2023.
"The Palestinian population has suffered enough in recent years," the EU statement read, adding it was "time to put an end to the violence and suffering."
https://p.dw.com/p/4tx41
