According to the Israeli military (IDF), the attacks came after Houthi militants fired at least three ballistic missiles at Israel after a ceasefire, one of which was successfully intercepted.
Israel targeted the Houthi-held ports of Hodeidah, Rash Issa, Saleh and the Ras Qantab power plant. In addition, Israel attacked a cargo ship called the Galaxy Leader, which the Houthis had captured in November 2023. The Israeli military says the Houthis had installed a radar system on the ship, which they were using to track ships in international sea lanes and facilitate terrorist operations. Israeli military spokesman Avichai Idriss issued a warning to evacuate ports and power plants local time before the attacks.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the attacks as part of Operation Black Flag. In his statement, he said the Houthis would continue to pay a heavy price for their actions, and that more attacks would be launched if they continued to fire drones and ballistic missiles at Israel. The Houthi military confirmed the Israeli attacks but said the Yemeni air defense system effectively countered the Israeli aggression and responded forcefully with locally produced surface-to-air missiles.

There were no immediate reports of casualties in the attack. Mohammed al-Farha, a member of the Houthi political bureau, said that targeting Yemeni ports, power plants and other civilian installations was an attempt to harm civilians and had nothing to do with any military operation. The attacks came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was traveling to Washington to meet with US President Donald Trump. Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, Israel has faced continuous missile and rocket attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, who target Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians.