20 July 2024 Israeli attack on Yemen

The attack damaged a power generating station, an oil refinery, fuel storage facilities belonging to the Yemen Petroleum Corporation (YPC), and port cranes.[4] The day before the attack, a Houthi unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed into an apartment building in Tel Aviv, Israel, killing one civilian.[10] Since the war began, the Iran-backed Houthi forces have launched drone and missile attacks toward Israel, though most were intercepted, causing minimal damage.[10] The movement, whose militants oppose Yemen's internationally recognized government, has controlled a considerable swath of the country's territory along the Red Sea since 2014.On 19 July, a drone launched by Houthi militants from Yemen hit an apartment building near the US Embassy branch office in Tel Aviv, Israel's economic center.The cabinet meeting, chaired by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi, was conducted under strict censorship.[28] The attacks hit a refinery,[29] electricity power station, fuel storage facilities, cranes, and equipment belonging to humanitarian aid agencies.[28] The Israeli attacks specifically targeted an electricity generation station, according to local Yemeni channel Al-Masirah TV (run by the Houthis).[28] A fire described as "huge" was created after Israel bombed a refinery and fuel storage depots at the port,[29] belonging to the Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC).The operation used aerial refueling with Boeing 707 "Re'em" aircraft, low-altitude flights to evade enemy radar, and possibly coordination with Saudi Arabia.[7] The IDF's task force included aerial intelligence and surveillance by the "Nachshon" squadron, naval support from warships and possibly a submarine in the Red Sea, and the use of "stand-off" munitions from a range of 100 kilometers.According to Ynet, the operation was meant as a deterrent to the pro-Iranian government in Sanaa and as a signal to the US-UK coalition that the IDF will no longer rely solely on allied air defense.[9] According to The Washington Post, analysts from Yemen determined that the operation would likely not deter the Houthis, but would instead enable them to mobilize Yemenis to fight against a perceived foreign threat, consolidating their local support.It emphasized the role of the F-35s in the 2024 operation, noting their stealth capabilities were crucial for striking the Houthis, who already used anti-aircraft missile systems to shoot down American UAVs.